The Hives sued for music plagiarism

The Hives have been sued by Jason Shapiro, formerly of the Roofies and Three Way, for a guitar riff in the Hives’ "Tick Tick Boom" the band allegedly lifted from the Roofies’ "Why You?".

Shapiro recorded the song with the Roofies in 1997 and later in 2002 with Three Way.

Shapiro is backing his claim with the analysis of the song by a musicologist, who agrees. “He said the part in question–the main riff and vocal melody–was very similar and its uniqueness led him to believe it wasn’t just a coincidence,” said Shapiro. “He also runs it through a background test seeing if any charts from previous songs are close and we were clear on that front.

“I absolutely love the Hives and don’t feel great about suing a band I love,” he also said. “But I also feel credit is due where it is due if you borrow a riff.”

"Tick Tick Boom" comes from the soundtrack for the Steve Carrell-starred "Get Smart," released earlier this year.

Shapiro has also played in Celebrity Skin with Germs drummer Don Bolles.