By ANDY SOLTIS
Posted: 4:38 am
July 19, 2008
A Japanese clockmaker is in "troubled water" for ripping off one of Paul Simon's biggest hits as a tune for its timepieces.
The singer/songwriter is suing Rhythm Watch Co. Ltd. for more than $10 million for using his classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" on tens of thousands of clocks without his permission.
"[This] is one of the [world's] best-known songs," the suit states, and a license fee to use it would cost more than $1 million.
No such permission was sought, and Rhythm's sold more than $5 million worth of clocks with the song, the suit charges.
Simon, a multi-Grammy Award winner, filed the copyright-infringement suit in Manhattan federal court yesterday against the Atlanta-based firm, whose clocks are made by its Japanese parent, Rhythm Watch.
According to the suit, in a three-year period, the US distributor sold more than 40,000 clocks that played the title song Simon wrote for his final album with ex-partner Art Garfunkel.
The suit notes that Rhythm's Grand Nostalgia Clock plays that song, as well as "Tennessee Waltz," "My Way" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale," written by other songwriters.
Efforts to reach Rhythm USA were unsuccessful.
The 1970 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album reached No. 1 on the pop charts. The title track won Grammys for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
