*Sam Smith’s hit song “Stay With Me” is at the center of a case involving song stealing.
Court documents reveal that a federal lawsuit was filed by Mark Halper accusing Smith of stealing his 1986 song “Don’t Throw Our Love Away” for use in “Stay With Me.“
In his suit, which was filed against Smith’s record labels Sony Music and Universal Polygram, Halper stated that recorded a demo in the 80’s which began with the significant phrase, ‘stay with me.’ Halper goes on to claim that Smith used the “stay with me” phrase eight times in his Grammy-winning song. In his eyes, Halper believes this is proof that Smith stole his work.
Halper, according to TheJasmineBrand.com, is demanding royalties in the amount of 28% for the albums sold by Smith, along with the record labels to recommend he be credited by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the Grammys won by Smith.
The site notes that Smith’s record labels fired back against Halper’s lawsuit on June 17. According to the companies, Halper never once mentions in his complaint how they or Smith would have even come in contact with his demo.
In addition, Sony and Universal mentioned that Halper doesn’t own a copyright to “Don’t Throw Our Love Away.” As for Halper’s attempt to claim a stake in the phrase “Stay With Me,” the labels said it is a common phrase that cannot be copyrighted or claimed by any one person.
As a result, Sony and Universal deny that Smith stole Halper’s music. With this, they are refusing to hand over any royalties to Halper demand that the entire lawsuit be thrown out of court.
Halper’s lawsuit marks the second time “Stay With Me” has been in the center of a legal situation. Earlier this year, a settlement was reached with singer Tom Petty’s publishing company to add the classic rocker and Jeff Lynne as co-writers for “Stay With Me,” after similarities were noticed between Smith’s song and the melody of Petty’s classic 1989 hit “I Won’t Back Down.”
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