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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
“Help, I need somebody … not just anybody” could be a plea for a lawyer coming from a company that wanted to distribute a Beatles documentary, but now seeks $100 million.
Ace Arts L.L.C. is suing Apple Corps Ltd. and Sony/ATV Music Publishing L.L.C. over its attempt to distribute the documentary containing rare, film footage of the Beatles performing their first U.S. concert in 1964, according to published reports.
Ace Arts claims in its lawsuit recently filed in New York that it obtained the rights to distribute the documentary of the Beatles’ early impact in the United States, but Apple Corps and Sony/ATV unlawfully interfered.
Copyrights for many of the songs performed in the 1964 concert are controlled by Sony/ATV, and Ace Arts argues that it had a licensing deal with the publishing company. Ace Arts also claims, according to published reports, that Sony/ATV withdrew its license, likely because it learned that Apple Corps also planned to release a film about the 1964 concert.
The plaintiffs claim that Sony/ATV sabotaged distribution of the 2012 documentary “The Beatles: The Lost Concert” by making false copyright infringement threats.