Justin Timberlake, Will.I.Am Accused of Copyright Infringement in Lawsuit Over ‘Damn Girl’

A New York music publishing company claims the duo ripped off Perry Kibble’s “A New Day Is Here At Last”

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 11: Musicians Will.i.am and Justin Timberlake perform during the will.i.am Music Group's Tsunami Benefit Concert at the Avalon Hollywood on February 11, 2005 in Hollywood California. The event is sponsored by Reebok and all proceeds will go to tsunami relief efforts around the world. (Photo by Matthew Simmons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Will.i.am;Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake and Will.I.Am have been accused of copyright infringement in a new lawsuit filed Wednesday at the U.S. District Court of New York.

New York music publishing company PK Music Performance claims that the duo’s  2006 song “Damn Girl” (which was featured on Timberlake’s album, “Futurezex/Lovesounds”) wrongly copies Perry Kibble’s “A New Day Is Here At Last.”

“A substantial amount of the music in ‘Damn Girl’ is copied from ‘A New Day Is Here At Last,” legal documents obtained by TheWrap state. “Specifically, a substantial part of the drum, conga drum, organ, bass guitar, electric quitter and saxophone parts in “Damn Girl,” were all copied from ‘A New Day Is Here At Last.’”

Former disco king Kibble died in 1999 and left the song’s copyright to his sister, Janis McQuinton, who is the principal of PK Music Performance.

According to the suit filed by Steven M. Lester of La Reddola, Lester & Associates LLP, Kibble was best known as part of the funk band A Taste of Honey, which won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

“A New Day is Here At Last” was released by J.C. Davis in 1969, the same year Kibble registered his copyright in the musical composition, according to the complaint.

Listen to the songs below:

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

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