Chicago Songwriter Claims Beyonce Ripped Him Off

If you like it then you better put a copyright on it.

A Chicago performer says a 2004 song by Beyonce's former group Destiny's Child mimics his work, and a judge has given the go-ahead for the lawsuit to proceed in Chicago court, says the Sun-Times.

Ricky Allen says he copyrighted a song called "Cater 2 U" in the mid-1990s, performed the song locally, and updated the copyright three times, as recently as 2000.

The lawsuit was filed in 2006 and will just now see a courtroom.

The same-named song by Destiny's Child is spelled similarly, Allen says, and contains thematically similar material.

When Allen's song says: "I want to rub you down," Destiny's Child asks: "Want a foot rub?"

Allen's lyrics say: "The tub has hot steam rising," and "I'm waiting to soak your body through."

The Destiny's Child song offers to: "Let me run your bath water."

Attorneys for Allen suggest that one of Allen's collaborators, Maurice Joshua, may be responsible for passing on Allen's work to Destiny's Child.

Allen passed a copy of his version to Joshua expecting to collaborate on a demo. That didn't happen, but Joshua later worked in the studio with Destiny's Child on a different track.

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