Legal battle over Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ lyrics unfolds in a New York Court

NEW YORK: A New York Court heard a legal battle involving Don Henley, the Eagles’ lead singer, and disputed pages from the band’s renowned 1976 album ‘Hotel California’.

Henley claimed to be a victim of “extortion” as three people face charges related to attempting to sell what Henley claims are “stolen pages” of notes from the band’s iconic hits.

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“The notebooks contained raw material never intended for public consumption”, Henley said. The three accused face charges of possessing stolen goods.

The drama began in the late 1970s when an author held on to notes entrusted to him for the band’s biography. Henley perceived this as theft.

Prosecutors allege the author then sold the pages. Henley repurchased some pages for $8,500.

Henley in his testimony said that the content of the stolen material was not meant for public view and was extremely personal. He expressed anger over the privacy breach and having to repurchase his own property.

The trial is expected to last days and will deal into the ownership of the song sheets. The trail has raised serious questions regarding intellectual property rights in the music industry.