Thanks for sending me a copy of your statement to the Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks of the Senate Judiciary Committee (as well as the other statements and submissions pro and con, including those of Barbara Ringer, Ralph Oman, Richard Colby, Irwin Karp, and others). result We at Warner Bros. Music believe that the U. S. Supreme Court decided Mills Music correctly, and that this should not now be overturned legislatively. I have read the statement of your position which you presented on behalf of music publishers at the November 20th hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on copyrights chaired by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) relating to S. 1384, the bill to legislatively reverse the United States Supreme Court in the Mills Music case. I think the statement covers all of the important aspects of our role as music publishers and I was particularly interested in the fact that the two writers you quoted, Burton Lane and Marvin Hamlisch, have both had long-term agreements with Chappell. There is absolutely no question in my mind that Welk Music's activities as well as those of many other publishers, including ourselves, have made it possible for songwriters to hone their skills and reach varying degrees of success in our business. I heartily support the position you presented at the hearing. IZR/mas Best regards, 810 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10019 (212)399-6920 (TELEX 421749) We support the position you presented on behalf of music I support wholeheartedly the position you presented at the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing chaired by Senator Specter. etc. " " The publisher and composer truly are on-going partners. As you are aware, we are publishers of some of the big songs to come out of the South: "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden," "Stormy," "Traces," "Games People Play,' Renewals have come up only on two songs in our young catalogue: "Young Love" and "Be-Bop-A-Lula. The renewal on "Young Love," which was Number 1 all over the world, were readily assigned to us by the writers who are still living. On Be-Bop-A-Lula, which also was a worldwide hit, we had to deal with their heirs who were not familiar with all the work we had done as publisher in popularizing the song and that we were solely responsible for the writer and father having a recording contract at Capitol under the name of Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps. The living writer, Bill Davis, readily assigned the renewal to us, while it took many months dealing with ambulancechasing lawyers knowing the renewal was due who had preyed on the youngsters as heirs. One was setting up a Publishing Company, which he was half owner of to publish the song. We finally resolved it, but with much concern by all of us who worked so hard to make the song the success it has been. We would truly have been upset if we thought the rewards for all the work we had done in the field of motion pictures, television, other recordings, etc., would be the property of someone who, in fact, had nothing to do with the song. Mr. Dean Kay Page Two December 2, 1985 We The Supreme Court's opinion in the Mills Music Case is fine with me. might not get the renewals from some composers or their heirs, but do not take away all the fruits of our past labor. I am proud to be a part of the music publishing fraternity with people like yourself. May you enjoy continued success. |