After Years of Court Fights, McCartney Plays for Apple
Paul McCartney set aside a decades-long legal dispute with a performance at Apple’s 50th anniversary celebration this week in California. The 83-year-old played Beatles classics including “Hey Jude,” “Help!” and “Love Me Do” on Tuesday night for employees at Apple Park in Cupertino, KGO reports. CEO Tim Cook shared a photo on X of McCartney onstage, writing: “His music has inspired us from the beginning, so this is a full circle moment to close out our celebrations.”
McCartney and Apple have had a complicated history. The Beatles’ Apple Corps, founded in 1968 as a multimedia venture, has been in legal conflict with Apple Inc., co-founded by Steve Jobs, over the use of the Apple name and related branding. The dispute escalated in the early 2000s when Apple Inc. expanded into digital music with iTunes and the iPod, which Apple Corps argued violated previous agreements. The companies reached a settlement in 2007, and by 2010 the Beatles’ catalog appeared on iTunes, signaling an end to the long-running conflict. McCartney’s performance at the anniversary event appears to confirm that resolution.
It is unclear whether McCartney and Cook share the same views on other matters. Cook has been a frequent visitor to the White House during President Trump’s second term. Last weekend, McCartney performed in Los Angeles on the same day as international “No Kings” protests. The show, attended by many celebrities including Ringo Starr, largely avoided political commentary, though the mention of Trump drew boos, according to CNN, and McCartney playfully mocked the president’s dance moves.
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