James Paul McCartney (TV special) ATV network in order to settle his two-year legal dispute with Sir Lew Grade. As the owner of the network and its music publishing division – and, by extension, the Beatles' Northern Songs catalogue – Grade had objected to McCartney crediting his wife Linda as his co-writer since 1971, citing her lack of professional experience as a songwriter and musician. McCartney's commitment to the television project allowed him to retain the second composer's publishing royalties, which otherwise would have been assigned to Grade's company. "James Paul McCartney" was McCartney's first such special since the Beatles' 1967 television film "Magical Mystery
Linda McCartney Red Stripes were Wings, with Linda (who wrote the song) on lead vocals. The song had been recorded by Wings in 1972. Northern Songs and Maclen Music had filed a lawsuit alleging Paul McCartney had violated an exclusive rights agreement by collaborating on the song "Another Day", which had the effect of transferring a 50% share of the publishing royalties to his own McCartney Music company. The lawsuit, which alleged that Linda's co-writing credits were inauthentic and that she was not a real songwriter, was "amicably settled," according to an ATV spokesman, in June 1972. The McCartneys shared an Oscar