Avril Lavigne settles lawsuit over Girlfriend

Pop star Avril Lavigne has reached a settlement in a lawsuit that accused her of plagiarizing her summer hit single Girlfriend.

As a result, 1970s rock band the Rubinoos has dropped claims it was ripped off.

Songwriters Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer charged that Lavigne's boppy track sounded suspiciously like their 1979 single, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.

Rubinoos' lawyer Nicholas Carlin said a confidential settlement has been reached but that he could not comment further. A spokesperson for Lavigne could not immediately be reached.

A settlement does not necessarily indicate an admission of copyright infringement.

Lavigne has said she had never heard the Rubinoos song while her manager, Terry McBride, has said he consulted a musicologist who found no similarities between the songs.