Tuesday, May 10, 2016

"Happy Together" - Not! - The Turtles versus Sirius XM Radio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turtles#/media/File:The_Turtles.png
The Turtles (1967)
Pre-1972 music and its copyright status are back in the news!

The copyright holders of the Turtles' number 1 hit - Happy Together - filed suit against Sirius XM Radio over its use of pre-1972 music.  The suit was file in federal court and it was referred to New York State court, since the copyright of pre-192 music is covered by state law.  The New York Court of Appeals has agreed last week to hear this case. Below are a few articles where you can read the details of the case. Since this is being heard in state court, I will not only be interested in the ruling, but also in what precedents it sets.  Let's hope that the court hears the case soon.

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