Justin Bieber, Skrillex respond to 'Sorry' lawsuit

Justin Bieber and Skrillex have responded to a lawsuit claiming the duo sampled another song for “Sorry” without permission.

In a video posted to his Twitter account on Friday, Skrillex used what he said is the originally a cappella version of “Sorry” from the song’s writing sessions to show how the track’s opening was created in the studio. “SORRY but we didnt steal this,” Skrillex wrote, alongside the prayer hands emoji. Bieber retweeted the video and added the hashtags #wedontsteal and #sorry, as well as a smiley face emoticon.

On Thursday, singer-songwriter White Hinterland, whose real name is Casey Dienel, filed a suit claiming “Sorry” infringes on the copyright of her song, “Ring the Bell,” which was released a year before the Bieber track.

“Like most artists that sample music, Bieber could have licensed my song for use in ‘Sorry.’ But he chose not to contact me,” Dienel wrote on her Facebook page after news of the suit was released. “After the release of ‘Sorry,’ my lawyers sent Bieber a letter regarding the infringement, but Bieber’s team again chose to ignore me. I offered Bieber’s team an opportunity to have a private dialogue about the infringement, but they refused to even acknowledge my claim, despite the obviousness of the sample. Justin Bieber is the world’s biggest artist, and I’m sure that he and his team will launch a full attack against me. But, in the end, I was left with no other option. I believe I have an obligation to stand up for my music and art.”

Listen to the two songs below.