In that case, the baseline was directly ripped off, it wasn’t just “sounded similar”, it was an actual sample.

But to hear Vanilla Ice explain it is pretty hilarious - https://youtu.be/6TLo4Z_LWu4

If sampling to create new art were better protected, then cases like this wouldn't even come up. The documentary "Good Copy Bad Copy" was talking about this 12 years ago

Yeah I think we're long overdue to reevaluate what copyright means in music. I think it should be much closer to how we treat fashion where anything but a direct rip off is 100% fair game (and that is even more about trademarks because the actual design can't be copyrighted).

It's nothing like that because in that case, the latter directly sampled the former.

But in that case, Ice Ice Baby sampled the recording of Under Pressure verbatim.

https://xkcd.com/159/ Leading with that relevant xkcd

Under pressure likely features the most recognizable bass line of the 20th century. So even claiming new art would be deeply influenced by the former