Simon Le Bon & crew aren’t happy..
The BBC reports..
Pop group Duran Duran have said they are “outraged and saddened” at losing a High Court fight to reclaim US rights to some of their most famous songs.
“We are shocked that English contract law is being used to overturn artists’ rights in another territory,” said founder member Nick Rhodes.
The group had argued that US copyright laws gave them the right to call for a reversion of copyright after 35 years.
Girls on Film, Rio and A View to a Kill were among the disputed tracks.
‘Bitter taste’
The group had sought to terminate the grant to Gloucester Place Music Ltd, part of EMI Music Publishing, of US copyrights in their first three albums.
The albums – Duran Duran, Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger – contained some of the band’s biggest hits, among them Hungry Like the Wolf and The Reflex.
A View to a Kill, the theme song to the 1985 James Bond film of that name, was among other songs the band had sought to reclaim.
But lawyers for Gloucester Place Music Ltd successfully argued that English laws of contract stopped them from doing so.
Gloucester Place Music, as part of EMI Music Publishing, are ultimately owned by US business Sony/ATV.
In a statement, the Sony-owned company said it was “gratified by the court’s decision”.
Full story at http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38182418
