Tom Petty on Sam Smith track: The word lawsuit was never even said

Billboard spoke with Tom Petty, who addressed the recent news that he and frequent collaborator Jeff Lynne have received songwriting credit on Sam Smith's hit "Stay With Me."

In a statement to Billboard, the rock legend praises Smith for quickly addressing what he calls a "musical accident" -- i.e., the similarities between "Stay" and his hit "I Wont' Back Down."

"Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by," he says. "Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement. "

Petty also strongly denies the scattered reports that the songwriting snafu ever inspired legal action. "The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention," he says. "And no more was to be said about it. How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself."