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In roman numeral analysis (one form of harmonic analysis) these chords form the pattern I - V - vi - IV. So in C major, that would me C G Am F, but Axis of Awesome play in E major, so it is E B C#m A. You can do this in any major key. It's a basic pattern in a lot of popular music, as demonstrated in this song. But it's not plagiarism.
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