|
Jackson famously outbid McCartney for publishing rights to
the songs in 1985, paying $47.5 million to obtain the collection
as part of a much larger trove of some 4,000 pop music tunes
from Australian businessman Robert Holmes a Court.
The Beatles songs and rest of the ATV collection were then
rolled into a joint venture Jackson formed in 1995 with his
Sony-based label, creating Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which grew
into the world's biggest song publisher.
His estate sold off its stake in Sony/ATV, including the Beatles
collection, to Sony Corp <6758.T> for $750,000 in 2016, seven
years after Jackson's fatal 2009 drug overdose from the powerful
anesthetic propfol.
According to his lawsuit, McCartney put Sony/ATV Music
Publishing on notice as early as October 2008 that he wished to
reclaim rights to the dozens of songs he co-wrote with the late
fellow ex-Beatle John Lennon from September 1962 to June 1971.
Those songs form the bulk of the Beatles catalog.
The suit claims Sony/ATV has so far failed to acknowledge the
composer's rights to terminate copyright transfers of that
music, including such hits as "All You Need is Love" and "I Want
to Hold Your Hand," under the U.S. Copyright Act.
"Because the earliest of Paul McCartney's terminations will take
effect in 2018, a judicial declaration is necessary and
appropriate at this time so that Paul McCartney can rely on
quiet, unclouded title to his rights," the suit said.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing called the lawsuit "unnecessary and
premature" in an emailed statement.
"Sony/ATV has the highest respect for Sir Paul McCartney, with
whom we have enjoyed a long and mutually rewarding relationship
with respect to the treasured Lennon & McCartney song catalog,"
Sony/ATV said.
The lawsuit said Sony/ATV attempted to stall talks with
McCartney until the conclusion of a separate lawsuit involving
similar claims by British pop band Duran Duran in an English
court. Duran Duran lost the legal battle to a Sony/ATV
subsidiary in December.
The suit is seeking a declaration from the court that McCartney
can reclaim his copyright interests in the songs, as well as
attorneys' fees.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Steve
Gorman & David Gregorio)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
