Chasing Paper, Getting Nowhere: The Beatles, Creative Ownership, and the Culture of Late 1960s London

This study connects the story of The Beatles to broader historical developments in ownership, control, and power within creative industries during a time of social change in 1960s Britain. Though initially driven by financial motives, The Beatles’ publishing disputes came to reflect wider cultural tensions between individual autonomy and corporate control. By placing the band’s experience in this context, this project sheds light on how cultural and institutional shifts reshaped the fight for artist rights and laid the groundwork for modern ideas about intellectual property ownership.