20/01/2007 - 08:54:01
Hip-hop producer Timbaland is battling allegations he illegally copied the beat on a Finnish hit for a track on Nelly Furtado's latest album.
Loose, released last year, saw the Canadian singer team up with Timbaland in a bid to revive her flagging musical career.
But the album's huge success has come at a price - because some fans now suspect her song Do It is lifted from Finnish musician Janne Suni's track Acid Jazzed Evening.
Suni, known as Tempest, recorded the tune in 2000 and has never given up the copyright for his original track.
Although the intro and melody on Do It are almost identical to Suni's effort, he insists neither the producer nor Furtado asked permission to use the song.
Timbaland - real name Timothy Mosely - has produced tracks for a string of international stars including Justin Timberlake and Bjork.