Sixties Singer Gary Brooker won his court battle to reclaim full royalty rights to this massive worldwide hit. The Court of Appeal ruled by a majority that although Matthew Fisher, the musician who contributed the organ theme to the song first released in 1967, was entitled to co-authorship, he should not receive any royalties.

Lord Justice Mummery said in a ruling that Fisher, now a computer programmer from Croydon, South London, was "guilty of excessive and inexcusable delay in asserting his claim".

Russell Davies, Intellectual Property lawyer at Smith Partnership solicitors said “This case shows how important it is to protect your intellectual property rights, and also that if you do have a claim, you should bring it about promptly….not 38 years later”

“The effects of this judgment are not limited to music: there may be all manner of copyright works to which a contributor may have a claim. If you think you might have a claim, or that someone else might be claiming a share of your work, you should seek legal advice. Also remember that whenever you are writing a piece of music, a book or any other piece of work in which copyright will be created, you should ensure that you enter into an agreement at the outset specifying how you will share ownership of the copyright.”

For advice on any Intellectual Property or Copyright issues, please contact Russell Davies on 01332 225225.

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