Well, not really the Chipmunks, but the current controller of everything Alvin, Simon and Theodore, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., the son of the man who created the characters in the fifties.
Bagdasarian has brought suit against EMI in U.S. District Court for breach of contract and copyright infringement, saying that the company infringed on 24 of his songs. He is looking for statutory damages of up to $150,000 for a potential total of $3.6 million. This is based on the stated terms of the license with EMI that requires them to pay nine cents per copy of each composition whether it is sold or not (i.e., if they press it, they will pay).
This isn't the first lawsuit recently brought by Bagdasarian against an entertainment conglomerate. In 2009, he sued 20th Century Fox for half the profits on Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, a film that grossed over $200 million.
Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. created the singing rodents in the 50's, by speeding up his own singing voice. He then dubbed himself David Seville and had major hits with The Chipmunk Song (1958/#1), Alvin's Harmonica (1959/#3) and Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1959/#16). The franchise eventually spun off into TV series and the very successful movies.
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