Oregon grocery store employee claims he wrote "American Idiot", sues Green Day

Paul McPike, a 32-year-old grocery store employee in Medford, OR, has sued Green Day, claiming he wrote the lyrics and composed the melodies for the band's highly acclaimed 2004 album, American Idiot.

McPike's filed a copyright infringement complaint in U.S. District Court last week, claiming that he wrote the album in high school during 1992. The only evidence submitted was a copy of the album, stating that the words lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong sings don't exactly match those printed in the liner notes.

Since McPike has never performed publicly, he assumes that that a friend must have recorded him singing at home and somehow that recording reached Green Day.

You can read the entire story, which includes brief clarification on copyright infringement law, over southern Oregon's Mail Tribune website.