It is publicly and judicially uncontested that Bob Dylan and people in Bob Dylan's entourage have solicited songs, lyrics and music written by James Damiano for a period of over ten years and eleven months.
New Release Blackwell Street
It is publicly and judicially uncontested that Bob Dylan and people in Bob Dylan's entourage have solicited songs, lyrics and music written by James Damiano for a period of over ten years and eleven months.
The information contained on this website has been censored by all mainstream media domestic and international
It is true that Bob Dylan Sued a homeless witha disabled son for $25.000.00.
"In light of statements made by Bob Dylan in his latest interviews regarding plagiarism, there is no need for him to admit that he plagiarized James Damiano's Songs, it's a given, it's also public knowledge, documented at that. The depositions and Mr. Dylan's interviews speak for themselves There is no debate. What can one say but that facts are facts"......Managing Editor The New York Times
After thirty-five hours of video taped depositions which implicate Bob Dylan, after fifteen and a half million dollars have been spent on this litigation, and after this website has been published on the world wide web for over eighteen years defendants Sony Music and or Bob Dylan have never filed a counter, slander or libel suit against James Damiano.
Defendants have been aware of James Damiano's public statements made against Bob Dylan for over eighteen years years and have downloaded this website and produced it to Judge Simandle of the United States .Federal Court on three different occasions. Needless to say that this information has been entered upon the record of the court.
Judge Simandle disregarded Thirty Five hours of video taped depositions which implicate Dylan, Blatant admissions of guilt by defendants, eleven years of documents between James Damiano and CBS records and Dylan diminishing the integrity of the United States Judicial System.
It is not hard to imagine what Bob Dylan's professional reputation as a songwriter is worth when
A sheet of handwritten lyrics to one Bob Dylan classic 'The Times They Are A-Changin’ has sold at auction for $422,500.00
BBC News Reports
The handwritten notes for the singer-songwriter's 1964 classic went under the hammer at Sotherby's in New York , where Hedge Fund manager Adam Sender placed the winning bid at $422,500 reports BBC News.
There were approximately fifteen to twenty five boxes filled with anywhere from 200 to 400 finished and unfinished songs in each box (thirty five years of writing) that were never returned
Dear Mr. Snyder:
I have one other matter. Mr. Damiano informs me that Steven Kramer (James Damiano's lead attorney) had several boxes of songs delivered to Parcher & Hayes during the discovery phase of his case against Dylan. Mr. Kramer never made copies of the documents, since I am presuming he felt pressed to comply with an overdue discovery request. Mr. Damiano informs me that he has never had all the original songs returned to his possession, even though the case is over. If you don’t mind, please explain what you can recall about Mr. Damiano’s song production. Do you still have songs unaccounted for? Can they be returned?
Sincerely Robert Church
Contact Robert Church
Attorney at Law
RobertChurch@aol.com
Seeking Attorney file Law Suit Against Bob Dylan.
Inquiries to
Uslawjournal@gmail.com
All discovery completed with the exception of Bob Dylan's Deposition.
This Months Showcase Video
Dignity Credits:
Vocals: Joe Cocker
Keyboards: Billy Preston
Melody: James Damiano
Lyrics: Bob Dylan & James Damiano
The Following Music Analysis was prepared by Dr. Greene who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University and produced to Judge Simandle of the United States Federal Court. Bob Dylan has never supplied a musicologist with any scholarly credentials.
Somewhere on this website is a picture of Mick Jagger bald
Bob Dylan Admits Plagiarism
“I wrote ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ in 10 minutes, just put words to an old spiritual, probably something I learned from Carter Family records. That’s the folk music tradition – you use what has been handed down. ‘The Times They Are A-Changing’ is probably from an old Scottish folk Song.”........Bob Dylan
"I'll be playing Bob Nolan's 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds,' for instance, in my head constantly -- while I'm driving a car or talking to a person or sitting around or whatever. People will think they are talking to me and I'm talking back, but I'm not. I'm listening to the song in my head. At a certain point, some of the words will change and I'll start writing a song.".......Bob Dylan
Lewis Hyde’s Common As Air
The question of plagiarism, made public by Joni Mitchell in 2010, is also discussed in Lewis Hyde’s Common As Air. That Dylan’s first 70 recorded songs allegedly had clear predecessors and two thirds of the melodies were directly lifted may be (as Dylan said) common to the “folk process.” But Yaffe also notes Dylan in his autobiography expressing feelings by using unacknowledged lines from Proust, and he derides Dylan’s recent Modern Times album as largely plagiarized, though from public domain sources.
Attorneys See link Below
Plagiarism Defined :
An act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author.
Most Dylan fans would be stunned to realize that his vocal style (for lack of a better term) was high-jacked, in its entirety, from long-dead bluegrass-country singer Carter Stanley. We’re not talking about an influence, like Lefty Frizzell for Merle Haggard, but a total appropriation of Stanley’s highly idiosyncratic approach. A counterfeit from the get-go, once Dylan realized what an advantage his audience’s innate ignorance was, he’s exploited it ever since.
Just type “Bob Dylan plagiarism” into your friendly search engine, and a plethora of questionable circumstances pop up, enrobing the singer almost as completely as his years of reflexive media fawning have.
Documented from his teenage start, when he submitted a hand written, thinly revised version of country star Hank Snow’s “Little Buddy” for publication as an original poem, to his 1963 pilferage of Irish poet Dominic Behan’s “Patriot Game”’s melody for the similarly slanted Dylan tune “With God on Our Side” to songwriter James Damiano’s ongoing multimillion dollar copyright infringement suit (alleging Dylan’s Grammy-nominated “Dignity” is nothing but an altered version of Damiano’s “Steel Guitars”) to the naked “Red Sails in the Sunset” melody heist for the song “Beyond The Horizon” on his Modern Times album, up through the recent Confessions of a Yakuza-Love & Theft plagiarism charges (Love & Theft? Calling Dr. Freud!), the Timrod controversy, even the numerous passages of Proust and Jack London that (re) appear in the text of Dylan’s autobiography, it’s a deep, dark thicket of thoroughly damning and apparently chronic bootlegging.
Naturally, Dylan has said nothing publicly about any of these, but he already spent over three million dollars defending himself against one-time affiliate Damiano–the classic delay-to-destroy court room technique.......Andrew Brietbart
Inquiries
VirtueFilmsltd@gmail.com
No
artist can lay claim to the controversy that has surrounded the career
of songwriter James Damiano. Thirty two years ago James Damiano began an
odyssey that led him into a legal maelstrom with Bob Dylan that, to
this day, fascinates the greatest of intellectual minds.
Since
auditioning for the legendary CBS Record producer John Hammond, Sr.,
who influenced the careers of music industry icons Charlie Christian,
Billy Holiday, Bob Dylan, Pete Seger, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Ray
Vaughan , James has engaged in a half a billion dollar copyright
infringement law suit with Bob Dylan.
As
the curtain rises on the stage of deceit we learn that CBS / Sony
international recording artist, Bob Dylan not only used songs and lyrics
written by James Damiano but also solicited Mr. Damiano's materials for
a period of over ten years and eleven months.
As
per Judicial filings Bob Dylan's name is credited to the songs. One of
those songs is nominated for a Grammy as the best rock song of the year.
Ironically the title of that song is Dignity.
Movie Trailer 1
This story has been censored by mainstream media
Weekly Stats
This
site is the missing link to all other Bob Dylan Plagiarism's including
Knockin on Heavens Door, Shelter From The Storm, Dignity, Masters of
War, Like a Rolling Stone, Blowin In The Wind, Don't Think Twice It's
Alright, Floater, Lonesome Day Blues, Every Grain of Sand, Baby Let Me
Follow You Down, Ninety Miles An Hour Down A Dead End Street and many more
It is judicially uncontested that Bob Dylan and people in Bob Dylan's entourage have solicited songs written by James Damiano for a period of over ten years and eleven months.
No
artist can lay claim to the controversy that has surrounded the career
of songwriter James Damiano. Thirty two years ago James Damiano began an
odyssey that led him into a legal maelstrom with Bob Dylan that, to
this day, fascinates the greatest of intellectual minds.
It has also come to our attention that approximately 75 % of Bob Dylan's songs were plagiarized
"I Fought The Law" written by Sonny Curtis"
except for "I fought The Law" music & lyrics written by Sonny Curtis"
This website is hardcore proof that Mainstream Media has censored your news this website has been viewed by Reuters, Bloomberg Media, Spin Magazine, Georgia Board of Regents, The Center for Public Integrity, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The Washington Post, Disney Network, Fox Media, Turner Broadcasting Network, Yale, Harvard, Columbia and Columbia Law School, UCLA and UCLA Law School, Oxford University, Rutgers University, The New Jersey Law Journal, and The EOP.gov Executive Office of the President "The White House". It has also been viewed by over 750 thousand attorneys.
The information provided in the following video seems to be the most logical explanation for Bob Dylan's motive in soliciting James Damiano's Songs for over ten years and eleven months.
Please be assured that this information would not have been published on this website however given the amount of threats by the court to incarcerate James Damiano for disobeying Judge Rosen's "Federal Gag Order" of the court pertaining to discovery materials James Damiano was left no other choice but to publish it.
This is just another example of Bob Dylan's Attorney's Peter Parcher and Orin Snyder ruining Dylan's reputation.
It is very doubtful that they will download this website and enter it upon the record of the court.
Bob Dylan Admits Heroin Addiction in his Own words
Everyone someday finds out
Just how much faith
A man must have
So may the truth
Of your reality
Be in your own behalf
James Damiano
vs.
Bob Dylan
Cause of Action: Plagiarism
This site is the missing link to all other Bob Dylan Plagiarism's including Knockin on Heavens Door, Shelter From The Storm, Dignity, Masters of War, Like a Rolling Stone, Blowin In The Wind, Don't Think Twice It's Alright, Floater, Lonesome Day Blues, Every Grain of Sand, Baby Let Me Follow You Down, Ninety Miles An Hour Down A Dead End Street and many many more
About something else
I might have lied
Something personal
I might deny
Another time
I might have tried
About something else
I might have lied
I have faith
I can do without
Be the fool
Find cause to doubt
If I didn't believe
I wouldn't try
To live the truth
I'd live a lie
Preview
Deposition of Bob Dylan's pubicist
If
you as a citizen believe that your government is engaged in corruption
and or is violating your constitutional rights in any way we suggest you share this website with as many people as possible .
Also....If you believe that Mainstream Media is censoring your news and covering up stories of importance we suggest again that you share this website immediately with as many people as.............. possible
Preview of
"Eleven Years"
It has now been reported that Bob Dylan's newly signed publishing deal with Simon & Schuster will include two books of unpublished Bob Dylan lyrics. Critics compared the books to discovering the lost diaries of Shakespeare
You'll be able
To tell
The greatest Story
Say the greatest line
Give the greatest
Performance
Find the greatest
Find
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher Ruining Bob Dylan's Reputation
Our suggestion to Bob Dylan :
File
Suit against Gibson Dunn and your attorneys Orin Snyder, L Peter Parcher, Steven
D. Johnson, and Steven Hayes for giving you legal advice
which destroyed your reputation.
Vs.
Bob Dylan
Complaint "Plagiarism"
Judge Jerome B. Simandle Presiding
Judge Jerome B. Simandle
Orin Snyder Attorney for Bob Dylan
Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Goldman Sachs have one thing in common the Lawyer "Orin Snyder"
Orin Snyder Of
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
L. Peter Parcher of
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
&
Steven D. Johnson of
Gibbons
Steven M Kramer and Associates
&
Robert Church Esq.
Robert Church Esq.
James Damiano
This website is updated daily
Judge Simandle disregarded fifty hours of video taped deposition materials all of which incriminated Bob Dylan
Preview 2
Bob Dylan's Lawyer "Orin Snyder" explodes at end of deposition
The evidence in the Bob Dylan James Damiano Plagiarism Law suit was so incriminating to Bob Dylan that he entered a motion for a confidentiality order which was granted by Judge Joel B. Rosen and enforced by Judge Jerome B. Simandle designating all discovery materials confidential.
Same behavior one would expect from Communist China
It has been over fourteen years since the dismissal of the law suit and the confidentiality order is still in effect
On march 14th 2011 the following letter was sent to
Judge Simandle by Bob Dylan through his attorney
Orin Snyder who will lie to the court at will
James Damiano's now expects to be incarcerated for violations of Judge Rosen's confidentiality order.
This testimony conclusively implicates Bob Dylan's publicist Elliot Mintz along with Bob Dylan and other people in Bob Dylan's entourage of Bob Dylan's eleven year solicitation of James Damiano's music.
Judge Simandle will not allow James Damiano to protect himself with depositions that incriminate Bob Dylan, and the court of censoring the truth
Everyone
One day finds out
Just how much faith
A man must have
So may the truth
Of your reality
Be in your
Own behalf
James Damiano Interview and musical analysis and comparison
Judge Simandle's rulings are a hundred percent inconsistent with the facts of this case.
During James Damiano's last contempt hearing he did promise the court to remove all video taped deposition materials.
This promise was made under duress from the court threatening incarceration should he not comply
The following letter to Judge Simandle was entered upon the record of the court by Judge Simandle as document 154 and Dated Mar 9th 2007
The letter enclosed a four hour DVD of videotaped depositions from the Bob Dylan James Damiano Plagiarism Law Suit which conclusively reveal Bob Dylan's eleven year solicitation of James Damiano's songs
The DVD also conclusively revealed that Bob Dylan's attorney Orin Snyder lied to the court.
James Damiano's letter to Judge Simandle judicially documents the fact that Judge Simandle had in his possession the video taped depositions in DVD form that conclusively incriminate Bob Dylan in the Stealing of James Damiano's Songs..
Although there are over thirty five hours of videotaped depositions which implicate Bob Dylan, people in Bob Dylan's entourage
and Bob Dylan's lawyers of Stealing James Damiano's songs, Judge Jerome
B. Simandle ruled in favor of Bob Dylan to hold James Damiano in
contempt of court for disobeying the order.
No counter-suit was ever filed nor was there ever a defamation or libel suit ever filed by Bob Dylan against James Damiano.
Robert Church's Response to Bob Dylan's Motion to hold James Damiano in Contempt for violations of Bob Dylan's confidentiality order
Send to a friend, Bookmark or add this
Bob Dylan
This website is the missing link to all other Bob Dylan plagiarisms including Blowin In The Wind, Knockin On Heavens Door, Shelter From The Storm and Like A Rolling Stone. It is a judicially uncontested fact that Bob Dylan and people in Bob Dylan's entourage have solicited songs written by James Damiano for a period of over ten years and eleven months.
"Eleven Years"
"The Stealing of James Damiano's Songs by Bob Dylan"
All Rights Reserved
Bob Dylan's suppression of the truth is no different than that of China's suppression of the truth
The Bob Dylan James Damiano Story
A paramount signature of what has become of the United States Judicial System
All information contained on this website and on the DVD "Dignity is Judicially uncontested by Bob Dylan and his law firms.
were one hundred percent inconsistent with the facts of this case
In the middle of midnight
She's coming around
I'm dressed in my best threads
Gonna take on this town
In the middle of midnight
I've got what it takes
To find out what the truth is
Make fools of all the fakes
In the middle of midnight
Her clothes caught my eye
I'd be willing to bet
I'd be willing to lie
In the middle of midnight
Could have sworn
I heard her cry
In the middle of midnight
This ain't no one last try
All lyrics on this website written by James Damiano
All discovery completed except for Bob Dylan's deposition
James Damiano subpoenaed Bob Dylan to court and Bob Dylan never showed
As per motions filed in the Damiano Dylan litigation "It is judicially uncontested by Bob Dylan and or Bob Dylan’s law firms Manatt, Phelps & Phillips , Parcher Hayes & Snyder, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Hecker Brown and Sherry, and Sony House Counsel that Bob Dylan and people in Bob Dylan’s entourage have solicited James Damiano’s songs and music for a period of over ten years and eleven months.
Judicially impropriety test
"The test for appearance of impropriety is whether the conduct would create in reasonable minds a perception that the judge's ability to carry out judicial responsibilities with integrity, impartiality and competence is impaired."
Over
the past several years more and more Bob Dylan plagiarisms have been
reported in mainstream media.
Bob Dylan has blatantly released other peoples work without crediting the true authors name to songs he has received royalties for. "Blowin In The Wind", "Knockin on Heavens Door", "Like A Rolling Stone" "Dignity" and "Shelter From The Storm" were among these songs
The confidentiality order obtained by Bob Dylan in the Bob Dylan James Damiano litigation censors the fraud committed by Bob Dylan's attorneys especially that of Orin Snyder.
The order also protects Judge Joel B. Rosen and Judge Jerome B. Simandle of enforcing an illegal order, Ruling in favor of Bob Dylan in light of the fact that said ruling was inconsistent with the facts of the case, and disregarding the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Confidentiality Vs. First Amendment
CONFIDENTIALITY
7th Circuit’s Challenge
justify confidentiality
The imposter
Took the stand
A cloud of confusion
Filled the room
To thick to
Withstand
When a witness
Yelled to the Jury
You better understand
All hell broke lose
When the imposter
Took the stand
What right have they
To intrude
In your affairs
Haven't they more
Class than that
Than to have to put on airs
Their concept conversation
And theoretical view
Not much left
To understand
Cept for what they
Thought they knew
To hear a musical comparison of "Dignity" see link below
http://jamesdamiano.yolasite.com/dignity-comparison.php
Dignity was nominated for a Grammy as the best rock song of the year
and was the hit of the Bob Dylan's MTV Unplugged Cd, DVD soundtrack, Video Soundtrack
Dignity was also the hit off of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits' Volume 3 CD
Preview 3
James Damiano faces incarceration by Judge Simandle for posting the video-taped deposition materials below which conclusively incriminate Bob Dylan The one hour movie trailer below documents how many times Bob Dylan's witness's perjured themselves. Please keep in mind there are at least another thirty five hours of video taped depositions
1411
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
JAMES DAMIANO, Plaintiff C 95-4795 (JBS)
against
SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT INC
and BOB DYLAN Defendants
DATED 10/17/2002
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO REVERSE JUDGE JEROME B. SIMANDLE'S DISMISSAL OF THIS LAWSUIT.
PLAINTIFF'S
MOTION TO REVERSE JUDGE JEROME B. SIMANDLE'S MEMORANDUM OPINION OF
FINDING JAMES DAMIANO IN CONTEMPT FOR VIOLATIONS OF JUDGE JOEL B.
ROSIN'S [Sic]CONFIDENTIALITY ORDER
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO VACATE [Sic] PROTECTIVE ORDER
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR ADMISSIONS OF DEFENDANTS
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR THE RECUSAL OF JUDGE SIMANDLE
PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR DEFAULT AGAINST SONY
ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND BOB DYLAN.
James Damiano pursuant to U.S.C. Section 1746, declares under penalty of perjury that:The facts expressed within this motion will be conclusively deemed as truth within 30 days of August 3, 2000, should they be left disproved by Defendants Bob Dylan and or Sony Music Entertainment Inc. or by any other party involved or not involved in this matter as, pursuant to FRCP rule 36. At such time said admissions and facts expressed within this motion will be deemed as truth, entered upon the record of this court and docketed with the clerk.
The fact issues expressed within this motion concerning Defendants eleven year association with Plaintiff and all fact issues expressed within this motion concerning defendant Bob Dylan's solicitation of Plaintiff James Damiano's songs, will be deemed admitted and acknowledged as truth after thirty days unless defendants deny and contest the forgoing with specificity, pursuant to FRCP rule 36. Plaintiff stipulates that he has produced to the court this same motion for admissions during his contempt hearing, at which time it was entered upon the record of this court as per order of Judge Simandle as exhibit A. and that defendant's Bob Dylan and or Sony Music have never answered or denied the motion.
The following Statements and facts were never contested or answered by Bob Dylan or by any attorney or representative of Bob Dylan and or Sony Music Entertainmnt Inc.
James Damiano pursuant to U.S.C. Section 1746, declares under penalty of perjury that:
1. No unbiased facts, no unbiased evidence or no unbiased testimony exists to support Judge Jerome B. Simandle's decision to dismiss Plaintiff James Damiano's lawsuit against Bob Dylan for copyright infringement case Number CV 95- 4795 (JBS).
2. The United States District Court District of New Jersey has disregarded eleven years of material facts regarding Bob Dylan's solicitation of James Damiano's songs and has granted summary judgment dismissing all counts of this lawsuit to Defendant Bob Dylan in violation of Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c).
3. That all statements contained in this motion are true and correct.
4. This document motion 321 standard size pages. Text size is 12, 14 to16 size on headings in IBM compatible Microsoft word pad document
EXECUTED ON THIS _______ DAY OF ____________________YEAR OF 2002 IN
_________________________________________________________
James Damiano ____________________________________
A CD Rom of this motion and a four-hour videotape of segments of various depositions taken during discovery have been produced to the United States Marshall's Service. After reviewing plaintiff's materials The United States Marshall's Service commented in Plaintiff James Damiano's favor, stating that Damiano's case was a "shut tight case" that he should have won.
A four hour DVD movie about this litigation has been completed. The movie contains video taped depositions, music videos and assorted segments pertaining to this litigation. Said materials can be seen at the link following link http://jamesdamiano.yolasite.com/
According to Bob Dylan's attorney Orin Snyder James Damiano's website has been viewed over 1,400,000 times. Mr. Snyder has downloaded the website with the stat counter viewable and produced it to Judge Simandle three times, yet never filed criminal charges of any kind nor has Bob Dylan filed a slander suit
From United States District Judge.
JEROME B. SIMANDLE OPINION:
[*625] JAMES DAMIANO Vs. Bob Dylan CV 95-4795 (JBS)
Judge Simadle cited rule 56( c ) A court may grant summary judgment only when the materials of record "show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)." [Emphasis added] "no genuine issue as to any material fact."
Judge Simandle also found that James Damiano had created a genuine issue of material fact.
From the same JEROME B. SIMANDLE OPINION: [*625]
JAMES DAMIANO Vs. Bob Dylan CV 95-4795 (JBS)
"Plaintiff asserts that 'the bulk of his life's work' was submitted to Sony beginning in 1982. (Complaint. At 2) He also alleges that he was told to bring his songs to several concerts which he attended courtesy of Sony. Plaintiff has produced evidence that after these concerts, he was allowed backstage and gave his work to Dylan or his agents. (Damiano Declaration. At 2, 5, ; Deposition of Pam Damiano at 77-84, 97-104: Deposition of Brad Wright at 105-112). "Taking these allegations as true, plaintiff has demonstrated a genuine issue of material fact as to whether defendants had access to his work."
"Plaintiff has demonstrated a genuine issue of material fact" A comparison of Judge Simandle's ruling: "Plaintiff has demonstrated a genuine issue of material fact as to whether defendants had access to his work".
"A court may grant summary judgment only when the materials of record 'show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c).' " Judge Simandle also went as far as to say in JEROME B. SIMANDLE OPINION: [*625] JAMES DAMIANO Vs. Bob Dylan CV 95-4795 (JBS)
"this court will accept as true plaintiff's allegation that Sony represented to him that he would be credited and compensated if Dylan used his work"
After fourteen years of litigation, ten thousand pages written, fifty hours of video taped deposition which are incriminating to Bob Dylan and after at least seven and a half million dollars have been spent on this litigation, Bob Dylan still to this date has not filed a counter or slander suit against James Damiano James Damiano pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1746, declares under penalty of perjury that:
1979
Years ago I read an unauthorized biography about Bob Dylan, in which the author made reference to a man who at one time was considered to be the president of CBS Records. His name was John Hammond, Sr. He was family to the Vanderbilts, Attended Yale law school, the most sought after record producer in the United States, and had signed Pete Seeger to Columbia Records 1960. In fact John Hammond Sr. was and probably will always be considered the most influential music executive in the world by music industry professionals.
It seems like the recording industry and record labels are up for a fight, with new information being revealed that may cause artists to take back ownership of their music. Thanks to a little-talked-about provision in United States copyright law, artists whose songs are 35 years old or more are able to utilize “termination rights,” which allow them to regain control of their work.
In the mid-1970s, copyright law was revised to include the loophole that artists could ask for their work back after 35 years, so long as they apply at least two years in advance. Recordings from 1978 are the first to fall under this provision of the law, but in a matter of months, songs from 1979 will also be eligible to be “taken back.”
The provision also permits songwriters to reclaim ownership of qualifying songs – Bob Dylan has already filed to regain some of his compositions, as have other performers like Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, Loretta Lynn, and Tom Waits.
With the recording industry already facing plummeting sales, termination rights claims could issue a serious blow – sales plunged to about $6.3 billion, down from $14.6 billion, over the decade ending in 2009 – largely due to unauthorized downloads on the Internet.
“This is a life-threatening change for them, the legal equivalent of Internet technology,” said Kenneth J. Abdo, a lawyer who leads a termination rights working group or the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and has filed claims for some of his clients.
Interestingly, the four major record companies – Universal, Sony BMG, EMI, and Warner – are prepared to fight for recordings they believe to be their property. “We believe the termination right doesn’t apply to most sound recordings,” said Steven Marks, general counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America.
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