Brooklyn-based indie rockers Sleigh Bells have got Demi Lovato in their sights, suing her over copyright infringement.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit is based around the claim that Lovato’s track ‘Stars’, from the deluxe edition of her most recent album, Confident, is a rip-off of Sleigh Bells’ ‘Infinity Guitars’, from their 2010 LP Treats.

These accusations first started being brought to public attention last year, when Sleigh Bells tweeted to Demi Lovato that they were “flattered you […] sampled Infinity Guitars & Riot Rhythm for “Stars” but we were not contacted. Gotta clear those.”

While Sleigh Bells’ ‘Riot Rhythm’ track isn’t included in the lawsuit, The Music Network report that the group are seeking “‘substantial profits’ in damages and that sales and broadcast of the track be stopped ‘permanently'”.

The group’s complaint claim that ‘Stars’ included significant portions of ‘Infinity Guitars’, with no effort being made by Demi Lovato, her producers, or her label to clear the alleged sample. The complaint further claimed that a “comparison of the two songs reveals that, at the very least, the combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as 3 quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps, is at least substantially similar in both works.”

While no official comment is yet to be made by Lovato or her label, her producers did respond to Sleigh Bells claims last year, stating that “We did not use any samples in Demi Lovato’s song ‘Stars.’ Demi was also not involved with the production. She only wrote top line.”

Are the songs similar? Listen to both of them below and see what you think.

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