Rolling Stones pass Verve royalties to Richard Ashcroft

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones have ended one of the most acrimonious copyright disputes in British pop by granting Richard Ashcroft all future royalties from his 1997 song Bitter Sweet Symphony, performed by the Verve.

Bitter Sweet Symphony reached No 2 in the UK and had a distinctive string motif. Those four seconds of strings were sampled from an orchestral recording of the Rolling Stones song The Last Time, but the rights were not fully cleared before the song was released.

Publishing company ABKCO, owned by Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein, argued that the Verve had used a larger portion of the sample than was agreed, and, following a lawsuit that was settled out of court, forced Ashcroft to relinquish the song’s royalties and create a new song writing credit: Jagger/Richards/Ashcroft.

But following an appeal to Jagger and Richards from Ashcroft’s management company, the pair “immediately, unhesitatingly and unconditionally agreed” to hand over the royalties.

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Shalish Mehta

Shalish acts on behalf of both private individuals and commercial clients, bringing or defending claims in the High Court or the County Court. Shalish is fluent in Gujarati and will happily represent those for whom Gujariti is the first language, in English. Shalish is also able to advise and assist with negotiations to resolve disputes, avoiding the need for court proceedings. Shalish joined the firm 10 years ago, very shortly after he qualified as a solicitor. Shalish is a keen sportsman, regularly playing cricket and five-a-side football. He is also a self-confessed foodie, taking great pleasure in sampling different cuisines from around the world. Currently, Shalish is pursuing his interest in languages, attending evening Spanish lessons at a local college.

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