Plagiarism lawsuit filed over 'Antidepresan', the song that brought fame to Mert Demir

Singer Merve Holefter claimed that songwriter and singer Mert Demir used the chorus melody of her work titled "Alınsam" in his song "Antidepresan" without permission.

Holefter filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office for "infringement of financial and moral rights."

While the prosecutor's investigation is ongoing, Holefter, through her lawyer İsmail Demirci, applied to the Bakırköy Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Civil Court and filed a lawsuit against Mert Demir for 2 million lira in moral damages and 10 thousand lira in material damages.

'THE CHORUSES BEAR A RESEMBLANCE'

According to the report in Hürriyet, Merve Holefter noticed a significant similarity between the chorus of 'Antidepresan', performed by Mabel Matiz and Mert Demir, and her own work 'Alınsam'.

Holefter applied to the Musical Work Owners Group Professional Union (MSG) and requested an examination.

As a result of the examination in the technical scientific report created, it was determined that the chorus parts of the songs bear a one-to-one resemblance. In the petition submitted to the court, Holefter's lawyer stated the following in summary:

“Attempts were made by the client to reach Mert Demir, and he was requested to cease the infringement of her financial and moral rights. However, this request of ours was not taken into consideration by Mert Demir. We demand the collection of a total of 2 million 10 thousand lira in compensation from Mert Demir, along with interest. Furthermore, we request that letters be written to the relevant institutions to determine how many times the song 'Antidepresan' has been streamed, how much income Mert Demir has earned, and the earnings the client has been deprived of.”

'THE WORK IS ORIGINAL AND AUTHENTIC'

Mert Demir, in his petition, requested the dismissal of the case, stating that they created "Antidepresan" with his colleague Mabel Matiz, and that this work is award-winning, original, and authentic.

In the expert report that reached the court, it was stated that the creation date of the song belonging to Merve Holefter was before 'Antidepresan'.

The report, which explained that the notes of the two works are similar, stated that Merve Holefter has the right to claim compensation.

News Source: 12punto