US Appeals Court: Supertramp Songwriter Must "Give a Little Bit"

October 20, 2025

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As reported by Reuters, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Roger Hodgson, the former Supertramp singer and songwriter, must compensate three former band members for a share of songwriting profits.

The dispute dates back to a 1977 agreement (the “Agreement”) between Hodgson and three other band members, who had agreed to share royalties generated by hit songs, including “Breakfast in America”, “Give a Little Bit”, and “The Logical Song”.

In a decision that made reference to the band’s famous lyrics, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed the Agreement and found that Hodgson must continue to "Give a Little Bit" of Supertramp’s royalty revenue, for as long as the songs continue to receive royalties. The Plaintiffs, John Helliwell, Robert Siebenberg and Douglas Thomson, were seeking $1.3 million in outstanding royalty payments, dating back to 2018, when Hodgson stopped making payments to them.

The ruling follows a lower court decision that sided with Hodgson, who argued that the royalties did not exist in perpetuity and could be cancelled after a “reasonable time”.

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Authors: Jack Borins, 2025/2026 Articling Student-At-Law, Arash Rouhi and Kelly Zhang