Following accusations made on social media sites Twitter and Facebook of US Yogurt company Dannon’s Oikos Greek Yoghurt screening an advertisement allegedly “plagiarizing” John Butler Trio’s 2003 single “Zebra”, John Butler Trio is now awaiting further legal advice over the matter.

The yoghurt advertisement screened to 111.3 million viewers who were watching the Super Bowl in the US on February 5 2012 (6 February 2012 in Australia), that featured music that strongly resembled John Butler Trio’s single “Zebra”.

Fans then flooded social networking sites Twitter and Facebook identifying the song and commenting on the controversy, sprouting responses by the band and the Oikos.

Following the accusations, Oikos released a statement on their Facebook on 7 February 2012 which said, “A question about the music in our Super Bowl commercial has been brought to our attention. We are working fully to understand and address the situation. We apologise for any concerns this has caused John Butler Trio’s band members and fans”.

John Butler Trio’s management later released a statement via Facebook saying, “Thank you to everyone for making us aware of the Oikos Greek Yoghurt TV ad that aired during the Super Bowl featuring a song that sounds extremely similar to Zebra”.

John Butler Trio is still awaiting legal advice to determine the extent of their legal claim for the alleged unauthorised usage of their song in the advertisement.

Following the controversy, some dedicated fans of the band apparently have bombarded the yoghurt company’s Facebook, demanding the band be compensated for the alleged “rip-off”.

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