Coldplay Answer Satriani's Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Coldplay have taken their time responding to guitarist Joe Satriani's copyright infringement lawsuit that claims the British band stole "substantial, original portions" of their biggest hit to date, "Viva La Vida," from Satriani's "If I Could Fly."

But Coldplay finally released this statement on Tuesday:

"If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him.

"Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write the song 'Viva la Vida.' We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavors."

Nice try, but don't count on Satriani giving up that easily. He told the Music Radar website that it took him 10 years to complete his 2004 song, which was written for his wife.

"I felt like a dagger went right through my heart. It hurt so much. The second I heard it, I knew it was 'If I Could Fly.'

"That's what really hurts about this whole thing. That I spent so long writing the song, thinking about it, loving it, nursing it, and then finally recording it and standing on stages the world over playing it — and then somebody comes along and plays the exact same song and calls it their own."

Satriani said he tried to avoid a lawsuit, but Coldplay wouldn't talk to him about his complaint. Now he's asking the courts to decide.

In the meantime, I think Adam Ant should sue Chris Martin for stealing the jacket he's been wearing at recent Coldplay shows.