Yoko Ono in legal battle over rare John Lennon footage
A fight over copyrights on footage of John Lennon taken in 1970 is brewing between Yoko Ono and World Wide Video, a Lawrence, Massachusetts-based consortium of Beatles collectors. Yoko Ono's ex-husband Anthony Cox shot the video during a three day span for a documentary he was planning to make, but instead sold the footage to World Wide in 2000. It gets pretty complicated, but somehow Yoko has the original and claims that she purchased it from a Florida man named as a defendant in the lawsuit against World Wide.World Wide wants to release the black-and-white footage as a two-hour film titled "3 days in the life" about Lennon during a pivotal and turbulent time for the most celebrated band of the 1960s. They almost screened this movie last year at the private Berwick Academy in Maine, but abruptly halted the screening after the school received a stop order from Ono's lawyers, who assert copyright ownership of the videotapes. The court case is slated to start in Boston next week . A decision will be made on whether the footage will be made public. This is really for the judge to decide on who has actual copyright on the film. I do not envy them!The video is private and in depth look into a world many did not see first hand. Lennon is filmed speaking candidly regarding drug use and the cameras capture truly great moments of Lennon creating two hits, Remember and Mind Games. The footage was shot in Feb. of 1970 mere weeks before the Beatles broke up, showing a great man at a pivotal point in his life and career. Rolling Stone dubs it "awesome John Lennon footage you might never see."
BOOOOOOOO!
I agree with Rolling Stone. As some one who appreciates the Beatles, I feel that creation and art belong to the fan and consumer, not just the creator. Why not share a small intimate moment with the millions that still love and miss him? He is a free spirit and does not just belong to his widow, but rather the world.
