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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
3 Ways to Help Your Legal Case Move Faster
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How Distractions Are Hurting Us Don’t Rely on Profit to Measure Success
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What Exactly Is the Rosetta Stone? Mouthwatering Southern BBQ
Ex-Beatle Sued for Plagiarism
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HE’S SO FINED
George Harrison’s Plagiarism Saga
In November 1970, George Harrison released his first solo single and biggest hit, “My Sweet Lord.” The song shot to No. 1 internationally and achieved the rare feat of bringing religious devotion to the pop charts. Only one problem arose — despite what the record label said, George Harrison didn’t write it.
Harrison buy Bright Tunes so that he would own the rights to both songs. Bright Tunes rejected the offer, and the case went to court. The judge found Harrison guilty of “subconscious plagiarism” in 1976 and ordered him to pay lost royalties. But Klein had a ruthless reputation and made an unexpected move. Having been fired by Harrison in 1973, Klein began pursuing a purchase of Bright Tunes on his own starting around 1975. By 1978, Klein owned the catalog and had effectively switched sides in the case, leaving Harrison stunned. It took several more years of legal wrangling (the case was finally resolved in 1998!), but in 1981, Klein sold Harrison “He’s So Fine” for $587,000. Many experts declared that price to be a steal. Despite the public spectacle, Harrison had few regrets about his copycat hit. “I don’t feel bad or guilty about it,” he wrote in his autobiography. “It saved many a heroin addict’s life. I know the motive behind writing the song in the first place far exceeds the legal hassle.” In fact, the ordeal served as inspiration for his tongue-in-cheek single, “This Song,” released in 1976 — proving that a good artist can find inspiration anywhere.
“He’s So Fine” was written by Ronnie Mack and recorded by The Chiffons only seven years earlier. It became a hit in its own right, with Billboard ranking it as the fifth-biggest single of 1963. Though Harrison had dramatically rearranged the song and written new lyrics, the similarities between “He’s So Fine” and “My Sweet Lord” were undeniable to even the casual listener. Despite Harrison’s lyric that “it takes so long,” the song’s owner, Bright Tunes, wasted no time filing a plagiarism lawsuit in February 1971. It also didn’t take Harrison long to realize his mistake. In fact, the “quiet Beatle” later confessed to the similarities in his book “I Me Mine,” asking, “Why didn’t I realize?”
Harrison’s manager, Allen Klein, thought he could make the matter go away by throwing money at it. He suggested that the wealthy
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