Satriani sues Coldplay for plagiarism

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. rock guitarist Joe Satriani says the group Coldplay lifted parts of an instrumental he composed and used them in its hit song "Viva La Vida."

Satriani filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, saying the Coldplay song -- a key track on its latest album, "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" -- was substantially plagiarized from his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly," the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.

The Coldplay song was nominated Wednesday for song and record of the year Grammys by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the newspaper said.

Satriani is a virtuoso rock 'n' roll guitarist who has been recording steadily since 1986. The suit seeks a jury trial and profits from Coldplay, which credited all four band members -- Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Will Champion and Jonny Buckland -- as the authors of "Viva La Vida," the Tribune said.