Justin Bieber, Skrillex sued by artist who says 'Sorry' ripped her off

LOS ANGELES -- Justin Bieber may have to apologize for "Sorry." 

On Wednesday, the Purpose singer was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit by Casey Dienel, who performs under the name White Hinterland and alleges that the song samples from her 2014 song "Ring the Bell" without permission. 

She's also suing Skrillex, who produce the song, and writers including Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter. 

In the lawsuit, lawyers for Dienel say that the "the vocal riff is a qualitatively and quantitatively distinct and integral element of 'Ring the Bell'" and that she spent over four years working on the song. They said it "provides the introduction and primary musical motive for the structure of the song," much like in "Sorry." 

Listen for yourself to the two songs below:

They also say that the songwriters and producers were aware of "Ring the Bell" because of its "widespread commercial release." According to her lawyers, the song was one of Rolling Stone’s picks "favorite songs, albums, and videos" in February 2014.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Dienel said she offered to have a "private dialogue" with Bieber's team, but that "they refused to even acknowledge my claim." 

She continued:

"Creating original and unique music is my life’s passion, but it is challenging and time consuming... Throughout my career, I have worked very hard to preserve my independence and creative control, thus it came as a shock to hear my work used and exploited without permission

. 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."

Representatives for Skrillex and Bieber have not returned Mashable's request for comment.  

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.