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I'm unsure as to why Rihanna chose to use Soft Cell's musical patterns from "Tainted Love." Was it because she wanted to ensure that her song would be a hit due Soft Cell's former success or was it because Rihanna was incapable of coming up with something new and fresh to go along with her lyrics? Her use of the song was fair in the sense that the exchange was legal. She did not infringe any of the copyright laws and sought permission to use the musical patterns. The artists agreed to the terms and even made some extra money because they shared their musical patterns with Rihanna. The artists do not seem to mind that this use was unfair; however to listeners and fans, it may be upsetting to hear that Rihanna used someone else's music to enrich her own lyrics. The lack of total originality is what seems to be unfair to outsiders, but not to the actual artists involved because there was a compensation for sharing ideas. Not much in the media is "new" because some ideas arise from those that already exist. It happens in all forms of media, such as novels and movies. If there is compensation for the original artist's work, it is completely fair and legal.