Musical plagiarism is nothing new. Check out this short film from 1943.

I’ve been following all the lawsuits alleging copyright infringement, song theft, and musical plagiarism for years now. Most of the current-day lawsuits are bogus (in my opinion) and represent a threat to the future of songwriting. But accusations of rip-offs have been going on for years.

Robert sent me a link to this 1943 short film (an Oscar winner, too) called Heavenly Music. It tells the story of a popular bandleader who shows up in heaven but is then interrogated by the biggest names in classical music who accuse him of stealing their stuff. It’s worth the watch.