A New York judge ruled in 1976 that this former member of a very famous band had copied a girl-group hit from 1963 for one of his own songs — then found that he had done it subconsciously.
The full story
In Bright Tunes Music Corp. v. Harrisongs Music Ltd., 420 F. Supp. 177 (S.D.N.Y. 1976), Judge Richard Owen held that George Harrison's 1970 single 'My Sweet Lord' infringed the Chiffons' 1963 hit 'He's So Fine', written by Ronnie Mack. Owen did not believe the copying was deliberate but held it was infringement anyway — 'no less so even though subconsciously accomplished.' Damages were assessed in February 1981 at $1,599,987. Harrison's former manager Allen Klein had bought the Bright Tunes copyright in 1978, in breach of duties over confidential information that survived the end of their management agreement, and in 1983 the Second Circuit directed that Klein's company ABKCO hold the rights in trust for Harrison, transferable on payment of the $587,000 ABKCO had paid, plus interest.
The clues we handed out
— The court called it infringement regardless. Doing it without realising is not a defence.
— Damages were not assessed until 1981 — nearly five years after the liability ruling — at just under $1.6 million.
— His own former manager had quietly bought the copyright he was being sued over. The court treated that as a breach of duty and used it to cap what he had to pay.
— The song of his at issue was the first solo number one by anyone who had been in that band.
— Initials: G.H.
How this case played
ALLEGEDLY* edition No. 46. Three strikes to name George Harrison, with a free clue
unlocked after every miss.
*A blind item you can check. Every puzzle is drawn from the public record —
court records, official rulings, and moments that unfolded on live television — and the
records are linked above. Allegedly.
Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Cookie Policy · Sitemap