Just rock and roll - or copyright infringement?

We were interested to hear that Elvis Costello has defended Olivia Rodrigo after the pop star was accused of lifting a chord sequence from his 1978 hit Pump It Up.

When alerted to the similarities by a concerned listener, Elvis Costello said on Twitter: "This is fine by me...It's how rock and roll works".

Costello's reaction is not a typical one. 

We're more accustomed to seeing similar allegations result in court proceedings for copyright infringement, and long disputes about the similarities between two songs. Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, Ed Sheeran and Led Zeppelin have all been involved in similar disputes in recent years.

Have a listen to two songs from around the 14 second point (https://youtu.be/3Y71iDvCYXA) and (https://youtu.be/ty-V6XFsEoY) and decide for yourself. 

Just rock and roll, or copyright infringement??