LEGAL FILE

Oklahoma!Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II once urged Oklahoma residents to sing his Broadway hit “Oklahoma!” but a California music licensing firm says that it can charge royalties for use of the song in a state-sponsored TV advertising campaign. The Albert Co. of Carmel charged the Oklahoma Tourism Bureau $17,000 to use “Oklahoma!” the Oklahoma state song since 1952. Now the state tourism director wants a refund and has asked Oklahoma’s attorney general to prepare a case to get back the money and protect against future charges. But the Albert Co. maintains: “These are not public-service announcements. This is a commercial venture.”