A story that was widely reported on in the United Kingdom
(“UK”) gives us an interesting insight
into the world of copyright.
A long time ago – some 22 years to be precise – a
songwriter by the name of Richard Ashcroft assigned (transferred)
the copyright in a hugely successful song called Bitter Sweet
Symphony performed by a band called The Verve. If no bells are
ringing, I suggest that you Google the song, chances are you will
recognise it immediately. The copyright was assigned to two people,
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
As with many rock music stories, things are a bit fuzzy.
However, it seems that Ashcroft was persuaded that he had himself
infringed the copyright in the Rolling Stones’ song The
Last Time, by incorporating a ten-second orchestral version of
that song in Bitter Sweet Symphony. So, Ashcroft assigned
his copyright in Bitter Sweet Symphony, seemingly as a
form of recompense. The upshot, of course, was that Ashcroft did
not
