PhotoThe classic folk song “This Land Is Your Land” may literally belong to you and me. Despite Guthrie’s publication, Ludlow filed for its own copyright of the song in 1956, according to the suit. But Satorii and its lawyers argue that Ludlow never had a right to claim the copyright in the first place. As with the earlier cases, the “This Land” suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, traces what the firm calls a winding path of missed or illegitimate copyright claims. Guthrie wrote the song in 1940 in response to the Irving Berlin song “God Bless America,” which he felt inadequately addressed land and wealth inequality, according to the Library of Congress.

Source: New York Times June 17, 2016 11:26 UTC