French musician detained after plagiarism dispute with Russian star

French musician Didier Marouani has been detained in Moscow following a plagiarism dispute with Russian pop star Philipp Kirkorov.
Marouani, 63, the leader of the French disco band Space, was detained alongside his representative Igor Trunov in a bank in the Russian capital on Tuesday (29Nov16), according to the country’s state news agency TASS.
The singer has been embroiled in a legal dispute with Kirkorov after filing a plagiarism claim in a Moscow court last month (Oct16).
Marouani and his bandmates alleged Kirkorov’s 2002 song Cruel Love was partly copied from their tune from the same year, Symphonic Space Dream. They sought $1.15 million (£925,000) in damages and a ban on Kirkorov performing the song.
The lawsuit was dismissed in Russia, but Trunov had threatened to take legal action on behalf of his client in the U.S.
According to The Guardian, on Monday (28Nov16) Trunov told TASS he and Marouani agreed a settlement with Kirkorov, a flamboyant star who has boasted of being friends with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
The 49-year-old singer denied a settlement had been reached, telling Russia’s Life News website that he had contacted the police about the French popstar.
“I’d like to thank Russian law-enforcement officials who were defending my honor and dignity that was called into question by foreign musicians who wrongly accused me of something I didn’t do,” he said.
However, according to Billboard magazine, Marouani’s lawyer Lyudmila Ayvar told Russian media her client was released on Wednesday (30Nov16) and will not face charges.