Paul McCartney Could Regain Rights to Beatles Songs (Report)

Ex-Beatle could obtain rights to songs rights held by late Michael Jackson — in 5 years

The rights to the rich songbook of the Beatles could wind up back in the hands of Paul McCartney – but he’ll have to wait five years.

The late Michael Jackson owned about half of the copyrights to a large portion of the Beatles’ songs, with Sony/ATV Music Publishing holding the remainder. However, McCartney can regain the rights held by Jackson, according to a report from the music site Fader.

Also read: Jackson Family Meltdown: Who's Who in This Whole Mess

The U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 enables songwriters to regain control of publishing rights on pre-1978 compositions after 56 years. That means that the former Beatle will be able to regain control over the band's compositions from 1962 in 2018 and songs from 1970 in 2026.

McCartney, who just turned 71, only has to wait until he is 76.

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