George Harrison Guilty Of "Subconscious Plagiarism"

1976

George Harrison is found guilty of "subconscious plagiarism" in a bizarre lawsuit that leaves songwriters baffled.

A judge rules that Harrison's 1970 song "My Sweet Lord" is musically similar to "He's So Fine," a 1963 hit for the girl group The Chiffons, and orders him to pay nearly $1.6 million in damages. The lawsuit was filed by Bright Tunes Music on February 10, 1971 as "My Sweet Lord" was falling down the charts. Bright Tunes is controlled by The Tokens, who set it up as part of their production company, which produced "He's So Fine" and owns the publishing rights. The song's writer, Ronnie Mack, died of cancer shortly after the song was released. Harrison tried to settle the case, but Bright Tunes rejected the offer and the case was tried over three days in February 1976. After hearing all about musical motifs and chord progressions, the judge declares the songs "virtually identical," but admits Harrison didn't do it on purpose. Still, this "subconscious plagiarism" doesn't exonerate him, and he's on the hook. Harrison mocks the case on "This Song," a track from his November 1976 album Thirty Three & 1/3. "This song... Don't infringe on anyone's copyright," he sings. Frustrated and depleted from the case, Harrison doesn't release another album until 1979.