U2’s ‘The Fly’ Buzzes Past Copyright Infringement Claim

A 12-second guitar solo in U2’s 1992 track “The Fly” doesn’t infringe the copyright interest in a 1989 instrumental, a federal district court ruled yesterday.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected Paul Rose’s claim that the U2 guitar solo copied portions of his recording of “Nae Slappin” that could be protected by copyright law.

The court also said that no reasonable jury could find that the entirety of “The Fly” was substantially similar to “Nae Slappin.” The court granted U2’s motion to dismiss Rose’s lawsuit for failure to state a claim.

Rose v. Hewson, ...