Paul McCartney won’t let it be, sues for rights to his songs
Posted On: Jan. 24, 2017 2:41 PM CST
Paul McCartney is suing Sony/ATV Music Publishing for the rights to the songs he wrote as a frontman for the Beatles.
The songwriter filed the suit in Manhattan federal court on Jan. 18, seeking a declaratory judgment that he is entitled to reclaim copyright interest in his early songs — including “Love Me Do,” “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude” — under revised provisions of the Copyright Act that allows authors who assigned their copyright interests to reclaim rights after 56 years have passed.
According to media reports, Mr. McCartney wants to reclaim his rights from Sony/ATV, which owned some of the songs with Michael Jackson after the late performer purchased rights to the Beatles songs in 1985. Sony/ATV recently paid Michael Jackson’s estate $750 million for the remaining share last year.