How Toni Basil Got the Rights to ‘Mickey’ Back
variety.comPamela Chelin The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit Court granted a victory to Toni Basil last week, affirming a lower court decision.
In the 8-page opinion issued by the Ninth Circuit last Wednesday, the judges ruled that Basil, referred to by her real name, Antonia Basilotta, owns the sole copyright to her 1981 debut album “Word Of Mouth,” which includes her breakthrough hit song “Mickey.”Originally released as a single in the U.K.
in 1981, “Mickey” made its way to the United States in 1982 to widespread success, with its iconic cheerleading-themed music video being played in heavy rotation on MTV and the new wave pop hit reaching No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.The origin of the legal dispute dates back almost a decade to 2013 when Basil filed a termination notice, effective June 2016, to reclaim her sound recordings’ copyright ownership, which was assigned to her record label, Radialchoice, when the works were created.
According to a Copyright Act provision from 1976, an author can transfer and reclaim copyright 35 years after it was granted, provided the work is not a “work-for-hire” whereby an employer is deemed to be the author.
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