In other IP news, Sir Paul McCartney yesterday sued Sony/ATV Music Publishing to reclaim ownership of his songs. In court papers filed at the U.S. District Court (S.D.N.Y.) in Manhattan, McCartney seeks a declaratory judgment from the court that copyright in “Love Me Do” and later songs reverts to him as early as October 2018. Under section 304(c) of the 1976 Copyright Act, artists and authors of works copyrighted up to 1978 can reclaim ownership in works copyrighted for 56 or more years, regardless of any licensing agreement. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote, then licensed to various publishers, dozens of songs from 1962 to 1971. Sony/ATV Music Publishing currently owns these licenses. “Love Me Do,” was first copyrighted October 5, 1962, and becomes eligible to revert to McCartney on October 5, 2018. The estate of John Lennon is not a party to the lawsuit, although Lennon co-wrote these songs.

You may read the complaint here: McCartneyCopyrightTermination