Yoko Ono will finally get her due for her work in an iconic song written by her late husband, John Lennon.
An official with the National Music Publishers Association on Wednesday confirmed to Variety magazine that it was adding Ms. Ono as a co-writer for Lennon’s 1971 hit “Imagine.”
“We are delighted to have worked with the NMPA in publicly recognizing Yoko Ono’s contribution to this extraordinary song. It was truly a historic evening for sharing credit where credit was due,” Downtown Music Publishing CEO Justin Kalifowitz said.
The move is apparently in line with Lennon’s wishes, or at least regrets. As Rolling Stone noted Thursday, Lennon said in a 1980 interview with the BBC that it had been a mistake to not list his wife as co-writer.
The addition of Ms. Ono’s credit to the song, originally published in 1971, will not affect the expiration of the copyright, set for 2066, 95 years after initial publication, contrary to earlier reporting.
Changes to federal copyright law in 1978 set expiration dates of 70 years after the last living copyright holder of a given work, but that legislation is not retroactive.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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