Lifestyle FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 Paul McCartney sues to take back Beatles catalogue aul McCartney on Wednesday filed a law- cert shortly before the Duran Duran decision suit to secure the copyright to the and hinted that the publisher would fight hard- PBeatles back catalogue in a case that er in light of the British case. The lawsuit said could have wide ramifications for the music that McCartney had asked Sony ATV to make industry. The complicated dispute centers clear that it recognized the former Beatle's around the US Copyright Act of 1976 which notices that he planned to terminate publishing aimed to address pop music's checkered histo- contracts under the US law. ry with artists by ensuring long-term rights for "Defendants have refused to provide such songwriters and their heirs. Under the law, confirmation," the lawsuit said, voicing worry Photo shows the members of Lady Antebellum, from left, Dave Haywood, Hillary Scott, and artists could reclaim copyright for songs 35 that Sony ATV would instead declare Charles Kelley pose in Nashville, Tenn. — AP years after they gave them away-or 56 years for McCartney-who wrote much of the Beatles cata- tracks from before 1978. log with the late John Lennon-to be in breach of But in a startling win for publishers, a British contract. The case could have wide effects on court in December refused to grant Duran the future of payments in the music industry. After short hiatus, Lady Antebellum Duran the US rights to the pop group's early Publishers collect and distribute royalties to hits-such as "Rio" and the James Bond theme "A songwriters-an especially lucrative area for clas- is back with new music View to a Kill"-on the grounds that the US act sic tunes. Sony ATV has rights to millions of did not apply in Britain. McCartney filed the law- songs including those by other top names in he short hiatus country vocal trio Lady "Writing while you're touring, which suit in a federal court in New York against Sony rock history including Michael Jackson, Marvin Antebellum announced in 2015 kept we've done a lot, after a while can become a ATV Music Publishing, which was also involved Gaye and Bob Dylan. Tthem apart for longer than they had little tiresome," Haywood said. Kelley said in the Duran Duran case, in a bid to guarantee Ironically, Jackson bought rights to Beatles been in a decade. Hillary Scott and Charles writing that way felt disjointed. "You're the transfer of copyright. songs after a leisurely chat with McCartney who Kelley went in different directions on their always having to write in little chunks," Next year will mark 56 years, the timeframe explained the importance of music publishing. solo albums, while Dave Haywood honed his Kelley said. "So you'll start a song, then you'll spelled out in the US Copyright Act, since the Sony ATV was initially a joint venture with skills as a producer. So when they did reunite do the next verse after a little while and then Beatles released their first single, "Love Me Do," Jackson. Japan's Sony Corp. last year bought out in the studio last year, they spent as much you've got to go somewhere and do a meet in 1962. The lawsuit said that the CEO of Sony the late King of Pop's 50 percent stake from his time together as possible. "We lived together and greet." But living together for weeks on ATV encountered McCartney's lawyer at a con- estate for $750 million. — AFP for two months pretty much, half of it in end without the pressure of performing Florida and half of the other time we wrote every weekend and away from the daily and recorded in Los Angeles," Scott, 30, said. demands of Music City enabled them to "Dave cooked for us," Kelley, 35, said. "And explore more challenging musical material. all kinds of craft cocktails," Haywood, 34, It also helped to have a demanding producer added. "It was like adult summer camp," in busbee, who has been producing pop and Kelley said. Yesterday, the Grammy-winning R&B-influenced country records with Maren vocal group released a new single, "You Look Morris and Keith Urban. Good," from their forthcoming album "Heart "He just pushed us, vocally and lyrically," Break," coming out June 9, which is their first Kelley said. "I got really frustrated with him at new album since their 2014 album, "747." The times and that's what he loves. He cherished single mixes a dazzling horn section with a every time I would argue against him." This swaggering bass riff that reflects the band's year, they'll embark on their next world tour, sun-filled days in the Hollywood Hills and which starts in May in Bakersfield, California, white sand beaches of Florida. "I think we and will take them to Canada, Europe and wrote half the record, the majority of half the South Africa. For the first time, all three record, in three or four days when we were singers will be bringing along their children down in Florida," Kelley said. for parts of the tour. "It's so much fun watch- "Nine songs in four days," Scott said. The ing them play with each other and sometimes time apart, however brief, was just the reset share, sometimes not," said Haywood. the band needed after a decade of grinding But the band says it's too early to tell if through five studio albums and numerous their kids have inherited their musical tal- arena tours. Following major success early ents. Kelley's son Ward is almost 1, while on with their multi-platinum hit crossover Scott's daughter is 3. "Eisele can sing," song and album "Need You Now," the trio Kelley said of Scott's daughter. "She's got that formed in their 20s became accus- good pitch. I don't know about Ward. He'll tomed to writing songs together on the be a roadie."— AP This file photo shows British musician and former Beatles’ member Paul McCartney perform- road and quickly recording during breaks at ing on stage at the Bercy stadium in Paris. — AFP home in Nashville. Alanis Morissette manager admits he stole $5 million he manager of rocker Alanis Morissette admitted on Morissette, who filed a lawsuit against Schwartz in May, Wednesday to fleecing the singer of nearly $5 million said her former manager had cost her $15 million overall Alanis Morissette Tand falsely claiming the money was used to grow mari- both through theft and other malfeasance. The Canadian- juana. Jonathan Todd Schwartz agreed to plead guilty to born, Los Angeles-based singer said she turned down a embezzling the money in court papers filed in Los Angeles "lucrative" offer to perform five shows in Las Vegas after federal court. Schwartz admitted that between May 2010 and Schwartz convinced her that she did not need the money. January 2014 he withdrew about $4.8 million from She said she fired Schwartz in March after he failed to clearly Morissette's account without her knowledge and labeled the explain her finances. unauthorized cash withdrawals as "sundry/personal expenses" According to GSO Business Management, which employed on accounting records. Schwartz and has also filed a lawsuit against him, he main- When confronted about the missing funds, he then lied tained a lavish lifestyle that included a $50,000 vacation to the and claimed the money was used as an investment to illegal- Pacific island of Bora Bora and a $75,000 debt from a casino. ly grow cannabis. Schwartz also admitted to embezzling Schwartz on February 1 is expected to formally enter his guilty more than $1.7 million from one other unidentified celebrity plea to two felony charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax and a sports figure. "Mr Schwartz was hired to protect his return. Although he technically faces up 23 years in prison, the clients' money by managing it professionally, but instead plea deal states that a sentence of four to six years in prison misappropriated millions to enrich himself," Deirdre Fike, the will be considered by the judge. — AFP assistant director in charge of the FBI office in Los Angeles, said in a statement..