Rammstein sued for plagiarism by French band Ninja Cyborg

French outfit Ninja Cyborg is taking legal action against Rammstein, alleging that the German metal behemoths' track "Deutschland" plagiarizes their song "The Sunny Road."

As reported by Day FR Euro, Ninja Cyborg has lodged papers with the Paris Court of Appeal following the dismissal of an earlier claim in 2021. The appeal leans on the expertise of legal music authority Richard Dubugnon, who asserts that Rammstein "intentionally borrowed the riff and other melodic elements" from "The Sunny Road," highlighting "too many similarities" that unequivocally amount to plagiarism.

Interestingly, prior to this legal tussle, Rammstein aficionados had accused Ninja Cyborg of pilfering the idea from the German outfit. However, Ninja Cyborg's track was released in 2018, a year before "Deutschland" graced Rammstein's eponymous 2019 album as its opening track.

Responding to these accusations from Rammstein's fanbase in 2020, Ninja Cyborg's Marc Botté stated:

I don't like Rammstein, and I don't listen to this group. I created that riff. I knew very well that I hadn't plagiarized them.

Botté further elaborated that upon initial comparisons pointed out by Rammstein's fans, he entertained the possibility of inadvertently crafting a similar riff to an old Rammstein track. However, upon discovering their song was released prior to Rammstein's, Ninja Cyborg opted to pursue legal recourse.

In a separate article by the French outlet, Le Nouvel Obs, Ninja Cyborg shared the following as they begin the legal appeal:

We want this piece to be recognized as ours and that we no longer spend our lives as artists perpetually justifying ourselves.

The case is slated to be heard before the Intellectual Property Chamber of the Paris Judicial Court in September.