Legal News

Publicity rights suit a disaster for Love

By Richard Binder

Talk about feeling broke up.  Via Techdirt:

A few years back former Beach Boy Brian Wilson released an album in the UK by distributing copies to all the subscribers of the UK newspaper The Mail in the UK and Ireland.  The album cover apparently featured some small old photos of the Beach Boys.  Beach Boy Mike Love noticed that he was in some of these photos and, as he holds the trademark on the band name for touring use, filed suit against Wilson and the following:

"Associated Newspapers Limited ("ANL"), the publisher of Mail on Sunday; BigTime.tv, a British company that licensed and recorded the compact disc; Sanctuary Records Group, Ltd., the entity that owned the rights to the Brian Wilson recordings relevant to this case, as well as Sanctuary Records Group NY, Sanctuary Music Management, Inc., and Sanctuary Music Productions, Inc. ("the Sanctuary defendants"); Jean Sievers, the Lippin Group, Inc., and SOOP LCC, Wilson's managers and publicist; David Leaf, a writer and producer for Wilson; and Melinda Wilson, Wilson's wife."

Most of the claims were dismissed and some with prejudice, with the courts ultimately deciding that since the distribution deal was legal in the UK, Love had very little standing to complain.  The musician will also have to pay attorney's fees to some of the parties he sued.  Read the full story here.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 12, 2010 (boomark / email).