The Hives have been accused of stealing elements of their track 'Tick Tick Boom' from a song by a US songwriter.

Jason Shapiro claims the main guitar riff and vocal line is similar to his song 'Why You?', which has been recorded by two US bands - The Roofies in 1997 and Three Way in 2002.

Shapiro told LA Weekly that he was alerted to the similarities by friends who heard The Hives' 'Tick Tick Boom' in a trailer for the film Get Smart.

In order to get a second opinion, Shapiro asked a musicologist to compare the two tracks.

"He said the part in question - the main riff and vocal melody - was very similar and its uniqueness led him to believe it wasn't just a coincidence," Shapiro told the publication

"He also runs it through a background test seeing if any charts from previous songs are close and we were clear on that front."

'Tick Tick Boom' was the lead single on The Hives 2007 record 'The Black And White Album'.

Shapiro said he didn't “feel great” about suing the group, "but I also feel credit is due where it is due if you borrow a riff."

The Hives have yet to respond to the allegation.

(by Jason Gregory)