James Arthur is being sued for copyright infringement by The Script

Former X Factor winner James Arthur is being sued by Irish band The Script over his 2016 comeback single Say You Won't Go. 

In a civil suit, Richard Busch from firm King and Ballow, the attorney who successfully sued Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over Blurred Lines on behalf of Marvin Gaye's estate, said that Arthur's song infringes on the copyright of The Script's 2008 single, The Man Who Can't Be Moved, which was written by band members Daniel O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan, with songwriters Andrew Frampton and Stephen Kipner.

In the suit, which was filed on behalf of The Script yesterday (21 May), Busch argued that Arthur has made over $20 million (£14.8m) from Say You Won't Go, which spent three weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart in 2016. The suit also names the song's co-writers, Neil Ormandy and Steve Soloman, as well as Sony/ATV Publishing, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Ultra International Music Publishing, Third Verse Music Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing.

In a statement delivered to Billboard, Busch argued that Say You Won't Let Go acted as a second wind for Arthur's career, which had stalled following his 2013 self-titled debut album. 

"It’s widely known Mr. Arthur was dropped by his record label for public controversies, which caused a break in his career," Busch said. "It wasn’t until the release of Say You Won’t Let Go that he achieved worldwide success."

According to TMZ, the suit also alleges that Arthur approached The Script's front man Danny O'Donoghue in 2014 asking whether they could collaborate on a song together. The request was apparently denied. 

Following the release of Say You Won't Let Go in 2016, The Sun noted the similarities between the two songs and reported that The Script were planning to sue. 

Arthur then told the publication that nothing ever came of that, suggesting that there was "no case". "It's 2017, there's only seven notes in music," he said. "Every blues song sounds the f***ing same. People get a bit wound up about these things for no reason."

According to Busch's suit, The Script are seeking statutory damages over the track, as well as an accounting of all streaming, distribution, publishing and touring revenue.