January 10, 2008 21:18

Settlement reached in Avril Lavigne lawsuit

The pop star was accused of ripping off hit 'Girlfriend'

Avril Lavigne has reached a settlement over the alleged plagiarism of her hit song 'Girlfriend'.

Seventies songwriting team Rubinoos claimed that her song was a rip off of 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend', which they wrote in 1979.

Rubinoos' lawyer Nicholas Carlin told the Canadian Press that a confidential settlement had been reached, but could not comment further.

The settlement does not necessarily mean that Lavigne has committed copyright infringement. The singer said that she had never heard the song, and her manager, Terry McBride, consulted a musicologist who reportedly said that the two songs bore no similarities.

Even so, McBride said he would consider an out-of-court settlement in order to avoid a potentially expensive legal battle.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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