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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Beatles Sue To Stop Bootleg Record

MIAMI (CN) - Fifteen years after agreeing to a court order prohibiting him from selling bootleg copies of an early Beatles concert in Hamburg, the man is doing it again, Apple Records claims in Federal Court. The Beatles' record company says Jeffrey Collins was sentenced to probation for musical piracy in 1995, and now is repeating the offense, with co-defendants Hugo Cancio, Fuego Entertainment and Echo-Fuego Music Group.

Defendants work out of Miami Lakes, and also operate co-defendant Echo-Vista, out of Coral Springs, Fla., the complaint states. Defendants claim to have bootleg 1962 recordings of the Beatles at the Star Club in Hamburg, made just before the release of "Love Me Do" began The Beatles' ascent to worldwide fame.

The Beatles say Collins agreed to a consent order in 1993, permanently enjoining him from exploiting the Star Club recordings.

Collins was sentenced to three years probation in 1996 for criminal music piracy, in a case not involving The Beatles, the complaint states. Before being sentenced, Collins responded to a cease and desist letter from The Beatles by promising not to proceed with his unauthorized release of 15 tunes from the Star Club, the complaint states. Defendant Cancio is boss of Fuego, and obtained the tapes from Collins, Apple says.

In January this year, Fuego announced that it had acquired those tapes, "and stated that the recordings 'will be released' under the Echo-Fuego joint venture."

No, they won't, say the surviving members of The Beatles. They are represented by Wolfe & Goldstein.

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