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“To Kill A Mockingbird” author settles copyright theft case

On Behalf of | Sep 13, 2013 | Business Litigation |

Harper Lee, the 87-year-old-author of the iconic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, reached a settlement in a copyright theft lawsuit that she had filed earlier this year against her former agent who she contended had conned her out of her copyright interest in her novel. “To Kill a Mockingbird”, first published in 1960, is considered to be one of the greatest novels in the history of American fiction.

The settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed, was announced by the former agent’s attorney. Lee had contended that the machinations by her former agent and others, including multiple transfers to entities controlled by the defendant, cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars. The former agent was the son-in-law of the man who served as her long-time agent for several years until he became ill in 2002.

According to the lawsuit, in 2007 the reclusive Lee, who resided in an assisted living facility, suffered from a hearing deficit and had also suffered a stroke. The agent contended that during this time period Lee assigned her copyright interest in “To Kill a Mockingbird” to his firm. Lee stated that she had no recollection of agreeing to such a transfer, and that the former agent, aware of her infirmities, took advantage of them to obtain ownership of the copyright interest.

A Cleveland business and commercial attorney may assist a person in different types of business litigation. This might include a case like Harper Lee’s that involves copyright infringement or similar intellectual property disputes. Other types of business litigation cases include matters involving breach of contract, unfair competition, business dissolution-related issues, employment matters and similar types of issues.

Source: NY Daily News, “‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author settles copyright theft case“, Dareh Gregorian, September 06, 2013

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