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Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | Back issues
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‘La Mancha’ Composer Protests Infringement

MANHATTAN (CN) - The Tony-winning composer of "Man of La Mancha" and other Broadway musicals claims in Federal Court that a website is infringing on his copyrighted work.

Mitch Leigh sued against Kritzerland Inc. and Bruce Kimmel in Federal Court. Leigh claims that Kritzerland.com has engaged in "unauthorized reproduction and distribution of copies of the original cast album for the musical 'Cry For Us All,'" as well as "unauthorized streaming of the six musical compositions included on the cast album."

Kimmel, who also goes by Guy Haines, is described in the complaint as "an actor, director, author, composer and record producer, best known as the director of The First Nudie Musical." The revival cast album of "Hello, Dolly!" brought Kimmel a Grammy nomination in 1994.

Leigh meanwhile describes himself as "the author and the copyright owner of musical compositions included in the dramatic musical work 'Cry For Us All.'"

He says Kritzerland "infringed the copyright ... by reproducing no less than 1,000 copies of each composition and distributing those unauthorized copies without permission of the copyright owner."

All in all, Leigh claims there are 10 songs from the musical that Kritzerland and Kimmel are wrongfully streaming and distributing. The complaint also claims that "Kritzerland Inc.'s powers, rights and privileges have been suspended for failure to file a tax return and/or failure to file appropriate forms with the California secretary of state."

Readers in the New York metropolitan area may recognize 85-year-old Leigh from a quirky local commercial in which he solicits "nice people" to live in a planned community he owns and has been developing in Jackson, N.J., for the last 40 years. He seeks damages for copyright infringement and is represented by Eric Osterberg of Stamford, Conn.

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