Post by blaze on Feb 6, 2007 10:49:06 GMT -5
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21184506-2702,00.html
SONGS such as Paperback Writer and Strawberry Fields could soon be available at the click of a mouse after a landmark deal between the Beatles' record label, Apple Corps, and the computer giant Apple Inc.
The companies have resolved a long-running dispute over rights to the Apple logo and name, giving Apple Inc control of both. It will license the trademarks back to the Beatles' company for its commercial use.
The Beatles have been one of the few bands to resist the sales boom offered by the birth of the iPod and the move to digital downloads.
But analysts suggest the agreement means the Fab Four's catalogue will be available in the near future at Apple's iTunes online music store.
ITunes is the outstanding online market leader, selling more than 2 billion tracks since its launch four years ago.
The settlement ends a battle that began almost 30 years ago, when Apple Corps - set up by the Beatles in 1968 to release their songs and manage their affairs - sued the Californian computer firm over trademark infringement.
It did so again in 1991. The settlement replaces one made at that time.
Apple Corps is owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and the estate of George Harrison.
Company manager Neil Aspinall, a childhood friend of McCartney and Harrison, said: "The years ahead are going to be very exciting times for us.
"We wish Apple Inc every success and we look forward to many years of peaceful co-operation with them."
Apple Inc chief executive Steve Jobs hinted at a truce when he launched Apple's iPhone last month. He used the cover of their album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club as the display artwork on a model of the phone.
"We love the Beatles," Mr Jobs said, "and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks."
EMI, which distributes the Beatles' music, has refused to say whether the group's songs would become available on iTunes or any other download site.
SONGS such as Paperback Writer and Strawberry Fields could soon be available at the click of a mouse after a landmark deal between the Beatles' record label, Apple Corps, and the computer giant Apple Inc.
The companies have resolved a long-running dispute over rights to the Apple logo and name, giving Apple Inc control of both. It will license the trademarks back to the Beatles' company for its commercial use.
The Beatles have been one of the few bands to resist the sales boom offered by the birth of the iPod and the move to digital downloads.
But analysts suggest the agreement means the Fab Four's catalogue will be available in the near future at Apple's iTunes online music store.
ITunes is the outstanding online market leader, selling more than 2 billion tracks since its launch four years ago.
The settlement ends a battle that began almost 30 years ago, when Apple Corps - set up by the Beatles in 1968 to release their songs and manage their affairs - sued the Californian computer firm over trademark infringement.
It did so again in 1991. The settlement replaces one made at that time.
Apple Corps is owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and the estate of George Harrison.
Company manager Neil Aspinall, a childhood friend of McCartney and Harrison, said: "The years ahead are going to be very exciting times for us.
"We wish Apple Inc every success and we look forward to many years of peaceful co-operation with them."
Apple Inc chief executive Steve Jobs hinted at a truce when he launched Apple's iPhone last month. He used the cover of their album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club as the display artwork on a model of the phone.
"We love the Beatles," Mr Jobs said, "and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks."
EMI, which distributes the Beatles' music, has refused to say whether the group's songs would become available on iTunes or any other download site.
Somewhere on Cloud 33
