xs
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Beckingham v Hodgens [2003] [2003] ECDR 6 (Ch D)

Country:
United Kingdom
  • Claimant was professional fiddle player who had been hired for session recording of song ‘Young at Heart’.

  • Claimed he had composed violin part which featured prominently in song, and as such was joint author.

Held

  • Claimant was a joint author.

First Instance 

  1. On facts, violin part is sufficiently significant and original

  2. Violin part is ‘not separate’ from work as a whole.

    • This because violin part would not make sense without what is in work already

Court of Appeal

  1. On facts, there was collaboration

    • To show collaboration must be ‘joint labouring in furtherance of a common design

    • However this does not mean there must be intention to have joint authorship

      • Simply requires that the joint authors engaged in a process of jointly creating work in question, rather than Claimant merely making additions to an already complete piece

Any comments or edits about this case?
Get in touch