The copyright infringement case of James Damiano vs. Bob Dylan eclipses the conflict between Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke and the Marvin Gaye Estate, which was settled relatively quickly. Bob Dylan’s alleged stealing of James Damiano’s songs and the law suit may be the most controversial story in the history of Rock ’n Roll. The Damiano camp says it’s been hidden from the public by the mainstream press for over 20 years.
That will change if and when there is a public showing of a documentary film called, “Eleven Years: --- Bob Dylan’s Stealing of James Damiano’s Songs,” presumably made when the law suit was eleven years old.
Damiano claims to have copyrighted his songs and submitted them in the 1980s at the request of executives of CBS Records, now owned by Sony. He sued, he said, after he heard his words and music on Dylan’s 1989 Oh, Mercy album and in 1990 on Dylan’s Under the Red Sky album.
Point of interest: Damiano, from Budd Lake, NJ, auditioned for the legendary CBS Record producer John Hammond, Sr., who influenced the career of Dylan, and after that, Damiano filed the copyright infringement suit against Dylan and Sony Music Entertainment, Inc. in Federal Court in Camden, NJ. The ongoing litigation has cost many millions of dollars, and in 22 years there has been no countersuit or other legal response by the defendants. Maybe they thought that if they ignored him by not countersuing, Damiano would just go away.
There’s been not a peep from Dylan/Sony---that is until March 13 of this year when they became aware of the documentary film and had their lawyers send Damiano a letter threatening court action if the film, which contains “controversial discovery,” is shown.
Damiano feels it’s ironic that Dylan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama while utilizing a “Gag Order” on him that designated all discovery materials including videotaped depositions that incriminated Dylan.
It’s a fascinating case. You can read about it all over the web, and read the actual letter from the Dylan/Sony attorney here: http://tinyurl.com/pbbk8y2 . The e-book info, “The James Damiano Story” is here: http://tinyurl.com/n8a7byz
By the way, Paul D. Greene, musicologist from Pennsylvania State University testified in an affidavit that he compared Damiano’s song called “Steel Guitars” and Dylan’s “Dignity” and found them strikingly similar.
I think all this fuss about works of art being too much like others is fundamentally invalid…maybe even stupid. Laws are created without awareness and appreciation of the fact that artists, like all other people, are influenced by everything they have experienced with their five senses. There is no escaping unconsciously dipping into the cache of another artist’s work. I analyze my own songwriting all the time, and invariably hear references to other compositions. Unconscious homage. And I’m careful. I know when I should abandon a phrase, quit a work-in-progress and move on.
By contrast, look at Billy Joel’s songs, and Barry Manilow’s. Their’s was a conscience and deliberate stealing of classical themes for many of their hits. Lucky for them Chopin’s estate is long gone and they can mine the public domain for as long as they can hum a tune!
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
