Campbell Connelly & Co. v. Noble
England and Wales High Court of Justice, Chancery Division
[1963] 1 All E.R. 237 (1963)

- Written by Sarah Holley, JD
Facts
In 1934, Ray Noble (defendant) composed the song, “The very thought of you,” and entered into a music-publishing agreement with Campbell Connelly & Co. (plaintiff) pursuant to which Noble assigned to Campbell “the full copyright for all countries in the [song] including the title, words and music thereof in all countries for the period of copyright as far as is assignable by law, together with all rights therein which he now has or may hereafter become entitled to whether now or hereafter known . . . .” Both parties being English, it was an English agreement governed according to English law. The song, however, obtained copyright protection in the United States. Noble later obtained the renewal copyright and sought to assign it to another party, but Campbell claimed it was entitled to the benefit of the copyright for the renewal period. Campbell subsequently brought suit in England, seeking a declaration that the renewal copyright fell within the terms of the agreement.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Wilberforce, J.)
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