Michael Bolton Appeals Plagiarism Decision
Singer Ordered to Pay Isley Bros. $5.4 Million
PASADENA, Calif., Posted 9:36 a.m. PST, October 6, 1999 -- Singer Michael Bolton is hoping a federal appeals court will overturn a $5.4 million copy infringement judgment against him.
A 1994 jury found Bolton, 46, guilty of taking portions of his song "Love Is A Wonderful Thing" from a 1966 Isley Brothers song by the same name, said a local news wire.
The $5.4 million judgement came after a 1996 court-appointed special master determined Bolton and writing partner Andy Goldmark owed the sum to Ron Isley.
Tuesday, Bolton told a three-judge Pasadena appeals court panel the ruling was "excessive and unfair," said CBS 2 News in Los Angeles. Bolton, who denies plagiarizing the song, said his song was not a big enough hit to warrant such a large judgement.
Evidence showed Bolton admitted on a "work tape" that he vaguely remembered hearing a similar song years before.
Both Bolton and Goldmark were teen-agers in Connecticut when the Isley Brothers song came out. According to news reports, Bolton's attorney told the appeals panel his client would not have heard the song because it was not a hit.
The 1966 song was played for about a week on radio stations in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia before it was taken off the air, attorney Russell Frackman said.
Isley's lawyer said Bolton did know the song because when his client and Bolton met at a 1988 benefit, Boston told Isley no introduction was needed because he was "familiar with all of your work."
Bolton told CBS 2 News that he's heard a lot of music over the years.
"You can't be afraid to create and write as artists because someone in another part of the world may have come with an idea that's similar," Bolton said.
Isley said he understands how easy it is to borrow from other artists but says credit should be given.
"If it's something I wrote, I want people to know," Isley told CBS 2 News.
The panel is expected to take a few months to make a decision.
This is mine not yours
