US Appeals Court: Supertramp Songwriter Must "Give a Little Bit"

As reported by Reuters, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Roger Hodgson, the former Supertramp singer and songwriter, must compensate three former band members for a share of songwriting profits.

The dispute dates back to a 1977 agreement (the “Agreement”) between Hodgson and three other band members, who had agreed to share royalties generated by hit songs, including “Breakfast in America”, “Give a Little Bit”, and “The Logical Song”.

In a decision that made reference to the band’s famous lyrics, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed the Agreement and found that Hodgson must continue to "Give a Little Bit" of Supertramp’s royalty revenue, for as long as the songs continue to receive royalties. The Plaintiffs, John Helliwell, Robert Siebenberg and Douglas Thomson, were seeking $1.3 million in outstanding royalty payments, dating back to 2018, when Hodgson stopped making payments to them.

The ruling follows a lower court decision that sided with Hodgson, who argued that the royalties did not exist in perpetuity and could be cancelled after a “reasonable time”.