The Isley Brothers isn’t as well known a name as Michael Bolton, but unfortunately for Mr.
George Harrison was found guilty of ‘subconscious plagiarism’ and a judgment was filed against him in the amount of $587,000.00 of which the full amount was paid and the judgment dismissed in 1981 The judge found that though he didn’t believe George Harrison purposefully plagiarized the song, the two songs were essentially the same, only displaying minor differences to note and chord.
The case was heard in court for the first time, in February of 1976, George Harrison’s attorneys tried to prove out the difference between the two songs, but with little success. The case waited to be heard for five years, during which time George Harrison’s attorneys continued to try to settle out of court. wanted seventy-five percent of the royalties and the surrendering of the copyright for My Sweet Lord. Though an out of court settlement was approached, including an offer of 148,000.00, but it never reached fruition before the court case proceeded, as the attorneys for Bright Tunes Music Corp. The suite also included Apple Records, BMI and Hansen Publications. The Chiffon’s song did well in the United States and received a luke warm reception in the UK.įebruary 10th, 1971, Bright Tunes filed a suit against George Harrison inclusive of his English and American companies. The not so good news involves a song called “He’s So Fine” recorded by the Chiffons in 1962 and then moved under the Bright Tunes Music Corp label in 1971. It remained on the charts for a total of twenty-seven weeks. It was released under the Apple label and enjoyed the number one spot originally for five weeks, then in 2002, again for one week. George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ was released Januand hit the charts on Januas George Harrison’s first solo single.
George Harrison vs Bright Tunes Music Corp. Famous Copyright Infringement Plagiarism cases in Music.