Bright Tunes Music Corp. v. Harrisongs Music
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
420 F. Supp. 177 (1976)
- Written by Whitney Kamerzel , JD
Facts
Bright Tunes Music Corp. (plaintiff) owned the copyright to a song with a unique musical composition called “He’s So Fine.” This song was number one on the Billboard charts in the United States and a top hit in England. George Harrison (defendant), a former member of the Beatles, lived in England when “He’s So Fine” was a hit. At the time “He’s So Fine” was number 12 on the Billboard charts in England, one of the Beatles’ songs was number one. Harrison composed a song called “My Sweet Lord” that was nearly identical to the musical composition of “He’s So Fine,” although “My Sweet Lord” used different lyrics. Harrison composed the song during various idea exchanges with Harrison’s team, and Harrison was not consciously aware that he was using the musical composition of “He’s So Fine.” Bright Tunes Music sued Harrison for copyright infringement.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Owen, J.)
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