The Florida Supreme Court may soon decide whether the dulcet tones of the 60s-era Turtles and 21st Century digital radio can live “Happy Together.”
Hits like “Happy Together” and “Elenore” shot the Turtles to the top and helped founding band members Mark Volman and Howard Kayla strike it rich. Now the two are duking it out in court with Satellite radio service Sirius.
Federal copyright law covers music recorded after February 1972, and the two argue state law protects their earlier work, says their Coconut Grove attorney, Glen Waldman.
“Sirius charges a monthly fee or a yearly fee and makes money for playing their music and they just want a piece of the pie which they are entitled to.”
Judges in New York and California have mostly agreed with the artists, but not in Florida. When they challenged the ruling, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals asked the Florida Supreme Court to settle the issue.
