Federal jury rejects hymn copyright infringement claim against British composer; The Oregonian, March 20, 2026

Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian; Federal jury rejects hymn copyright infringement claim against British composer

"A jury in Portland on Friday found that a British composer didn’t purloin musical passages of an American composer’s Christian hymn in a case that brought both musicians into a downtown federal courtroom to play the pieces. 

The composers took turns using an electric keyboard positioned in front of the jury box during a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut.

The eight jurors got the case Thursday afternoon and spent less than a day deliberating before returning its verdict that Bernadette Farrell of London hadn’t copied notes from Vincent A. Ambrosetti’s “Emmanuel.”"

Music copyright case in Portland focuses on 12 bars from two Catholic hymns; The Oregonian, March 18, 2026

 Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive; Music copyright case in Portland focuses on 12 bars from two Catholic hymns

"Two composers are dueling in court in a copyright infringement case this week in Portland over 12 bars of 26 notes in two Catholic hymns...

American composer Vincent A. Ambrosetti wrote the music and lyrics for “Emmanuel,” in 1980 and claims London-based composer Bernadette Farrell stole from his song to write her “Christ, Be Our Light,” in 1993."

Paul Thomas Anderson & Composer Jonny Greenwood Call For Removal Of ‘Phantom Thread’ Music From ‘Melania’ Documentary; Deadline, February 9, 2026

 Matt Grover, Deadline ; Paul Thomas Anderson & Composer Jonny Greenwood Call For Removal Of ‘Phantom Thread’ Music From ‘Melania’ Documentary

"After taking notice of the use of a piece of music from their 2017 film Phantom Thread in Amazon MGM Studios‘ Melania Trump documentary Melania, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and composer Jonny Greenwood are requesting its removal.

“It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the Melania documentary,” said the duo in a statement issued by Greenwood’s camp.

They noted that while “Jonny Greenwood does not own the copyright in the score, Universal failed to consult Jonny on this third-party use which is a breach of his composer agreement. As a result Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”"

Her Music Fell Into Obscurity. Now It’s Back at the Philharmonic.; The New York Times, November 20, 2023

 Garrett Schumann, The New York Times; Her Music Fell Into Obscurity. Now It’s Back at the Philharmonic.

"When Perry died, she had no children and only a few published works. Although scholars have identified about 100 of her manuscripts and scores, dozens cannot be performed or recorded because there is no established copyright holder. As Christopher Wilkins, the music director of the Akron Symphony, said, “all the work is protected; it just hasn’t been licensed, and can’t be until whoever controls it negotiates that.”

Wilkins first found Perry’s compositions in 2020, and marveled at what he saw. She, he said, “may be the most accomplished and celebrated composer ever to emerge from Akron.” He then asked the soprano and scholar Louise Toppin, who leads the African Diaspora Music Project, to help him explore Perry’s output and edit some of her manuscripts...

The Akron Symphony has also engaged a local lawyer to help resolve the copyright ambiguities that ensnare many of Perry’s compositions — a barrier to overcome for those interested in her music, beyond historical practices of exclusion among American institutions."