SONY Sony Group Corporation

By Hannah Karp 

Paul McCartney sued Sony Corp.'s music-publishing division seeking a judgment validating his efforts to take back his copyrights in Beatles songs he mostly co-wrote with John Lennon.

Mr. McCartney began serving termination notices to Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2008, intending to reclaim his copyright interests in the iconic catalog, composed between 1962 and 1971, according to the complaint filed Wednesday. The collection of more than 200 songs, one of the most valuable such catalogs in the world, includes classics such as "Hey Jude" and "Can't Buy Me Love." The termination notices, which Mr. McCartney wants the court to validate, are supposed to take effect starting in October 2018.

Sony/ATV, the world's biggest music publisher, issued a written statement saying the company "has the highest respect for Sir Paul McCartney" and that it was "disappointed that they have filed this lawsuit which we believe is both unnecessary and premature." It has been in discussions with Mr. McCartney's representatives, a person familiar with the matter said.

Attorneys for Mr. McCartney declined to comment, and a representative for the singer didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, asserts that under the 1976 Copyright Act, songwriters who transferred their copyright stakes to third parties before 1978 have the right to terminate those transfers and take back their interests.

But it isn't clear whether those rights apply to songwriters who signed their contracts outside the U.S. Last year, British rock band Duran Duran lost a similar case against Sony/ATV when it tried to take back its U.S. publishing rights on its songs such as "Hungry Like the Wolf." After Sony/ATV sued the band in Britain, the U.K.'s High Court ruled that the band's copyrights were subject to U.K. copyright law and that the termination notices it had served Sony/ATV were invalid.

Around that time, Sony/ATV executives indicated that it would try to use the decision against Mr. McCartney, Mr. McCartney's lawsuit alleges. But by filing the suit in the U.S. and demanding a jury trial, Mr. McCartney is aiming for a different outcome.

Though Sony/ATV's chief executive, Martin Bandier, has acknowledged in writing that the termination notices are valid, according to the suit, he wouldn't confirm that his company wouldn't take legal action against Mr. McCartney.

Sony/ATV acquired the Beatles catalog through its joint venture with the late pop star Michael Jackson . Sony bought out the Jackson estate's remaining stake last year.

In a rare move, Sony/ATV licensed all of its songs for Netflix Inc.'s animated children's series "Beat Bugs," which made its debut last summer, charging the show's creators upward of $10 million to use the tunes as story inspiration and soundtracks.

Write to Hannah Karp at hannah.karp@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 19, 2017 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)

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