Tag: beatles

The ongoing legal battle between Apple and the Beatles’ Apple Corps is unlikely to see an out of court settlement, according to a report by Macworld UK. “The thing is, settlement negotiations began, but as they progressed, both sides began to feel that they were completely in the right,” a source said. “This will not end with the biggest out of court settlement.

Apple has dropped law firm Linklaters in its legal despute with the Beatles’ record label Apple Corps after the firm reportedly raised the possibility of a higher settlement than Apple expected. “The latest installment in a long-running series of legal scraps between the two sides had been due to go back before the courts in London this autumn.

In his “Byte of the Apple” column on BusinessWeek this week, Alex Salkever offers a nice overview of the ongoing battle between Apple Computer and the Beatles’ Apple Corps (see related stories). Salkever provides some history on the issues and offers an educated guess at just how the trial/settlement might go. “This is one suit that appears to present a strong chance for an Apple Computer win.

In a report on the recent speculation that Apple is close to a settlement with the Beatles’ Apple Corps, CNET News.com says that those rumors are unfounded. The site also notes that the surviving members of the band are now discussing ideas for digital distribution with online music services but are asking for as much as US$15 million for six months of exclusive rights.

According to Variety, the trademark dispute between Apple Computer and Apple Corps (which is owned by the Beatles) could end up costing the Mac maker a pretty penny. The publication said that an out of court settlement could be imminent and that it will “massively dwarf” the US$26.5 million Apple paid to the Beatles in 1991 over trademark use.

Representatives of the Beatles are in discussions with various music services about licensing their songs for digital distribution. “The Beatles have been one of the biggest holdouts in releasing their catalog for sale online, and the lack of such mega-hits as ‘Let it Be’ and ‘Yesterday’ has been cited as a major weakness for fledgling, Web-based music stores,” reports Reuters.

A London High Court judge on Tuesday struck down Apple Computer’s request to have the trademark lawsuit between it and Apple Corps moved from Britain to the United States. Apple Computer argued that the U.S. was the proper place for the hearing as this was where the original agreement between the two companies was struck.

Apple is expected to return to London’s High Court of Justice today to contest the recent lawsuit filed by Apple Corps. over iPod and the iTunes Music Store, reports Bloomberg. “The Beatles’ lawyers will argue in a two to three day hearing that the case should be heard in London,” notes the report.

There are no plans to offer the extensive back catalog of the Beatles online, BBC News reports. The decision was made by the band’s record label Apple Corps, which is also presently suing Apple over the use of its name and the iTunes Music Store.

Apple is being sued by Apple Corps., the parent company of The Beatles, over the iPod and the iTunes Music Store. According to Fox News, the breach of contract case was filed a short time ago in London’s High Court of Justice, but was just served to Apple in California in the last couple of days. This is the third time Apple has been sued by the band.

Fox News reports that the Beatles may soon take legal action against Apple over the iTunes Music Store. “The Beatles own a holding company called Apple Corps, Ltd., which controls Apple Records… Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs was such a Beatle fan that he named his company after the record label. But the Beatles, who are notoriously protective of their rights and quite litigious, weren’t so happy with Jobs.