A Second Bite at the Apple
11/28/2011
Ken Abdo knows music from the performing side. He knows it from the business side. And he knows it from the legal side.
For most of his 27 years as a lawyer, the lifelong Minneapolis resident has maintained an entertainment practice that includes national as well as local performers. He has Jonny Lang on his client list, as well as legendary Bobby Vee and Kool and the Gang. Steven Greenberg, who wrote the disco-era anthem "Funkytown," is also a client.
These days, Abdo is girding for a legal battle with the recording industry over a 1976 amendment to federal copyright law that allows artists to reclaim their work after 35 years and do with it as they please.
The process legally is called "termination of transfer of copyright" and Abdo filed the first such notice with the U.S. Copyright Office on behalf of Greenberg. Abdo and Greenberg will know in 2013 whether the retrieval of "Funkytown's" copyright will go smoothly or require litigation.
Read the rest of the Star Tribune article.