Paul McCartney Sues Sony over Beatles Copyright Ownership

Recognized as one of music's greatest songwriters, Paul McCartney has sued Sony/ATV Music Publishing in an effort to regain copyright ownership of a number of songs by the Beatles.

TMZ reports that court documents reveal that McCartney claims the songs will be his property once again come 2018. The documents are also said to reveal that McCartney has inquired about the label agreeing to transfer the rights in the past to no avail.

The songs in question include "Love Me Do," "All You Need Is Love" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." They were part of the same portion of the catalogue that was once owned by McCartney's friend, collaborator and pop giant Michael Jackson, whose estate sold the group of tracks to Sony last year for $750 million.

A spokesperson for the rock icon provided Pitchfork with a statement about the proceedings:

Paul McCartney has today filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York against Sony/ATV to confirm his ownership in his US reversionary copyrights, which are granted to him by US copyright law, in the songs he wrote with John Lennon and recorded with The Beatles. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and bears the case no. 17cv363.