Toby Keith Wins Copyright Infringement Suit

A copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Toby Keith by a man he calls a "greedy lowlife opportunist" has been dismissed. Singer-songwriter Michael McCloud filed the suit last year, claiming that Keith's 2003 hit, 'I Love This Bar,' was "strikingly similar" to his song, 'Tourist Town Bar.' The case was thrown out this week.

In response to his victory, the country superstar issued a heated statement, saying that McCloud was only trying to make money off of him. He writes, "In fact, Michael McCloud publicly bragged this lawsuit would make him a rich man, that I would buy him a comfortable life, retirement, house, car, big boat, Harvard education for his children and other things." Keith was not allowed to speak about the case until it went to trial. He's now publicly defending himself, saying the plaintiff had "no case whatsoever."

"I don't have a problem taking heat for my politics or my music," Keith writes. "You can like my songs or not, but they mean everything to me. I have always said that I may not always be a performer, but I will always be a songwriter. So when this lawsuit was filed, it pissed me off. And no matter what it took, I was going to fight it. It was just too wrong. This guy can't sue me again for copyright infringement according to the judgment, and I feel that maybe I landed a blow not only for myself, my reputation but for other artists as well. I hope so. As I said, the case was dismissed with prejudice. I didn't pay him or his lawyers a thing."