Kernel Records, a music label based in Finland, has filed a lawsuit against acclaimed music producer Timbaland and Pop singer Nelly Furtado, claiming that the two stole elements from a song previously recorded by Finnish artists in order to create the song “Do It.” Produced by Timbaland and written by Furtado, the song appeared on the singer’s third album Loose in ’06, which also featured hit singles such as “Promiscuous” and “Say It Right.”
The Finnish record company alleges that production from “Do It” was taken from “Acidjazzed Evening,” a song originally recorded in 2000 by composer Janne Suni. According to Kernel Records, Timbaland “knowingly and willfully stole” the song.
In 2007, controversy arose when the first of several independent producers accused Timbaland of plagiarism via YouTube, using video evidence. Coincidentally, the production of “Do It” was also cited as being stolen work.
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During the same year, Timbaland reacted to the accusations of plagiarism:
“That mess is so ridiculous,” he told Maryland-based radio show Elliot in the Morning. ” I can’t really discuss it because it’s a legal matter. But that’s why people don’t believe it. It’s from a video game, idiot. Sample and stole is two different things. Stole is like I walked in your house, watched you make it, stole your protools, went to my house and told Nelly, ‘Hey, I got a great song for you.’ Sample is like you heard it somewhere, and you just sampled. Maybe you didn’t know who it was by because it don’t have the credits listed.”
Because, as he claims, he heard it from a video game, he did not consider the possibility of a lawsuit, as he believed that the sample was public domain.
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According to AllHipHop.com, Kernel Records is suing Mosley Music, LLC, and Geffen Records, requesting that the release, performance, reprinting, and sale of “Do It” be prohibited.
