Back in January of this year, Paul McCartney sued Sony over the rights to The Beatles catalog. McCartney did so to ensure he would not be in breach when he decided to reclaim his rights.
It appears that McCartney and Sony have settled the lawsuit, according to The Hollywood Reporter, though the details of the settlement are unknown.
“The parties have resolved this matter by entering into a confidential settlement agreement and jointly request that the Court enters the enclosed proposed order dismissing the above-referenced action without prejudice,” Michael Jacobs, McCartney’s attorney told U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos.
The rights to the Beatles catalog was famously fought over between McCartney and Michael Jackson in 1985, where the latter outbid him during the sale. Jackson bought ATV, the company that had owned the copyrights to the Beatles songs for $47 million.
Jackson would later share half of the rights to Sony for $100 million. After the King of Pop’s death in 2009, his estate sold the other half to Sony for $750 million.
McCartney’s case stems from Section 304(c) of the Copyright Act of 1976. Section 304(c) states that authors can reclaim their ownership interests in any works assigned by them prior to January 1, 1978, after 56 years. Under this law, McCartney’s songs, written with John Lennon, would become available to him in 2018.
Attorneys for both parties declined further comment.