A closer look
John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was famously sued for copyright infringement in 1985 for allegedly plagiarizing his own musical composition, making him the target of one of the most bizarre and ridiculous legal battles in the history of the music industry. After relinquishing the publishing rights to his classic CCR hit Run Through the Jungle to a vindictive former record label executive, Fogerty released a solo track called The Old Man Down the Road that had a noticeably similar swamp-rock vibe. The label executive dragged him to federal court, essentially accusing him of illegally sounding exactly like himself, forcing Fogerty to sit on the witness stand with his guitar and physically demonstrate to a jury how his songwriting process naturally leads to similar chord progressions. He ultimately won the case, proving once and for all that corporate greed can become so completely untethered from reality that record executives will genuinely try to criminalize a musician for having a recognizable style
