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Music Mondays- TV Show Hit With a Legal “Big Bang”

The incredibly successful TV show, “The Big Bang Theory,” credited with glorifying nerd culture (and doing so awesomely!), is now facing some not-so-awesome legal woes. If you’re a Big Bang fan, you might remember (and might even be able to sing) the song that Sheldon’s mother used to sing him when he was sick as a child: “Soft Kitty.” The the-big-bang-theory-soft-kitty-song-1 song is a variation of a poem published in 1937 by Edith Newlin, “Warm Kitty,” and her daughters, unfortunately, are not on the Big Bang train– they are suing the show for copyright infringement. The daughters claim that while CBS received permission to use the song from the music production company, Willis Music, back in 2007, the song’s copyright doesn’t actually belong to the company but to the Newlin estate. It might not seem like a big deal for a short poem, but “Soft Kitty” has been majorly merchandized across the world and has made a lot of money. The Newlin daughters are seeking unspecified damages. All in all, that is one expensive (and soft. and warm.) kitty.

Check out Penny singing “Soft Kitty” to Sheldon on an earlier episode of the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JMOli6unMI

 

And to learn more about this case, check out this article.

 

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