Record Company in Finland sues Timbaland and Nelly Furtado

A record company based in Helsinki, Finland is suing Timbaland and pop star Nelly Furtado, alleging that their song 2006 "Do It" borrowed heavily from a song recorded by Finnish artists on their label.

According to the lawsuit filed June 11 in Florida, the song was originally created as a computer recording by composer Janne Suni in 2000.

The plaintiff, Kernel Records Oy, claims “Do It” was recorded using the “original and central identifying melodic, harmonic and rhythmic components” of the song “Acidjazzed Evening,” which Kernel Records acquired in 2007.

The same year, Suni presented the recording at the Assembly 2000 Old Skool Music Competition, taking home the first place title. In 2002, Acidjazzed Evening was re-recorded in the Commodore 64 SID format by Norwegian musician Glenn Rune Gallefoss at Suni’s request.

The claim alleges that when Timbaland created the beat for “Do It” in 2006, using a program that emulates the Commodore 64 SID chip, he “knowingly and willfully stole” Gallefoss’s creation. The next year, in August 2007, Gallefoss transferred “all transferable rights” to the song “Acidjazzed Evening” to Kernel Records.

Coincidentally, in January 2007, a YouTube video was posted by an anonymous user who made the first accusation that Timbaland’s work on “Do It” was not original. The video shows portions of “Do It” and Suni’s original version “Acidjazzed Evening” as they appear in recording software to demonstrate just how similar they are.

With “Do It” having been released on the multi-platinum selling "Loose," the live CD and DVD "Loose: The Concert," and as a single, Kernel Records has also named the Mosley Music Group, Interscope-Geffen-A&M and Universal Music Distribution as co-defendants in the lawsuit.

Kernel has charged all defendants with copyright infringement, requested that the ownership of the copyrights held by Mosley Music, LLC and Geffen be transferred back, and requested an injunction prohibiting the further release, reprinting, performance and sale of the song "Do It."