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Paris in the dock again ... for 'stealing' a pop song
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03 June 2007
Paris Hilton is at the centre of a legal row after claims that her debut pop single Stars Are Blind is a rip-off of the UB40 classic Kingston Town.
On Wednesday, the celebrity heiress will start a three-week jail sentence in America after violating her probation for a drink-driving conviction.
But now a £250,000 writ is being issued against her record label in the High Court in London, claiming breach of copyright over the song.
Can you hear similarities between the two songs? Scroll down to watch both videos and make your own mind up
LOW NOTE: Heiress Paris Hilton has been dropped by her record label and starts a jail term this week
Stars Are Blind was released last year, with Ms Hilton describing it as "some reggae, some rock, a real mix of club, cool, happy music".
Critics were less impressed, however - one said the song sounded as if 26-year-old Paris had "phoned it in" from the back of her limo.
Kingston Town, written by Kendrick Patrick, is one of UB40's best-known tracks and has sold millions around the world since its release in 1989.
Sparta Florida Music Group, which owns the copyright, is suing V2 Music Publishing, as well as Warner Chappell Music and songwriter/producer Fernando Garibay.
The writ claims Stars Are Blind is a copy of a substantial part of Kingston Town.
Sparta Florida plans to rely on evidence from a musicologist and on internet articles in the action.
UB40: Paris has been accused of ripping of Kingstown Town, one of the band's biggest hits
In another blow to her hopes of forging a pop career, Hilton has been dropped by Warner after her follow-up to Stars Are Blind, called Nothing In This World, scraped into the charts at No55.
The news could hardly come at a worse time for the great-grand-daughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of the global hotel chain.
She was pulled over in California in February in her £100,000 blue Bentley convertible when she was already on probation for drink-driving.
Ms Hilton hoped to escape with being tagged electronically, telling the court she thought she was allowed to drive for work purposes.
But she was sentenced to 45 days at a women's jail - the Century Regional Detention Facility in the LA suburb of Lynwood.
The term was recently cut to 23 days for her "good behaviour" in the run-up to her time behind bars.
Paris Hilton's Stars Are Blind
UB40's Kingston Town
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