Cirque du Soleil isn't doing flips over Justin Timberlake's hit song Don't Hold the Wall.
The Canadian theatrical performance company on Thursday sued the superstar singer over allegations the song copied part of one of Cirque du Soleil's original compositions without permission.
Timberlake's song appeared on his 2013 double album 20/20, which has sold more than two million copies.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in New York claimed Timberlake borrowed from the song Steel Dream, which was originally on Cirque du Soleil's 1997 album QUIDAM.
The suit seeks a minimum of $US800,000 ($A1.04 million) in damages for copyright infringement.
In addition to Timberlake, the lawsuit also named among the defendants producer Timbaland, real name Timothy Mosley, who helped write the song, and Sony Music Entertainment which released the album.
Copyright infringement lawsuits are relatively common in the music world. In one high-profile case last year, the estate of soul singer Marvin Gaye won a $US7.4 million jury verdict against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over their hit single Blurred Lines.
