Plagiarism, copyright and the national anthem

This text is also published as a post on vg.no

Before the European Championship match between Norway and Switzerland, Astrid S sang a version of Yes, we love which touched the entire nation. Since then, some composers have said that her performance resembled musical arrangements they themselves had created. The media has covered the case, and TONO has answered questions. However, we would like to contribute a little more context to the case.

1. TONO does not decide plagiarism cases

It is the courts that have the mandate to decide whether something is plagiarism, not TONO. It is therefore not true that TONO members "... have made TONO look into the matter", as Andre Clemetsen writes. in his editorial in VGWe also read today on Helene Bøksle's Facebook page that she does not want to pursue the case and feels misunderstood.

2. We have not received any complaints

TONO is not a complaint body in plagiarism cases, simply because we do not decide on such cases. We have received two inquiries from members who thought the Astrid S version was similar to something they had made, and were given information about what options they have in such cases. We have explained that if they wish to take such cases further, this must be done directly with the rights holders in the event or with a lawyer, as we always inform about in such cases.

3. Yes, We Love is a free work

This means that anyone can freely perform it, in any musical form without any permission. But if someone has created a completely new, distinctive musical arrangement of a free work, including the national anthem, this new arrangement can in itself have so-called "authorship" and receive copyright protection. This is how the Copyright Act works, and it is quite common practice, both in Norway and internationally.

If a broadcaster or concert organizer wants to use the specific event, it is of course entirely possible, and is covered by a completely ordinary TONO license.

What does TONO actually do?

We are not a court for plagiarism cases. We are a cooperative owned by thousands of Norwegian composers, lyricists and music publishers.

Our job is to license performances of music we manage, and at the same time ensure that those who write the music get paid when it is used publicly, in streaming services, on TV, at concerts, in stores, and so on.

TONO does not generally provide assessments of who "owns" an interpretation, except that in special cases, if one of our members wishes, we can provide musicological statements, without these being decisions in such cases.

We register more than 40,000 works a year created by Norwegian songwriters, composers and lyricists. Most are new songs, some are arrangements of existing music. Both are important.

It is in line with the law to recognize the work and creativity behind it, and it helps the Norwegian people and the world at large to benefit from the creation of new Norwegian music.

The case was updated at 12:43 on July 10, 2025.