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New York — The heirs to a New Hampshire teacher who wrote a poem about a "soft kitty" say TV's The Big Bang Theory is violating their copyrights.
Edith Newlin's daughters sued CBS and other media-related companies on Monday in New York over the copyright to a song the lawsuit says has repeatedly been used on the sitcom.
The lawsuit says The Big Bang Theory used lyrics written by Newlin in the 1930s without buying the rights. The lyrics begin: "Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur."
The Big Bang Theory characters have periodically sung a lullaby involving that phrase.
Here is a clip of Penny and Sheldon singing the lullaby:
Messages seeking comment from CBS and other companies sued by Ellen Newlin Chase and Margaret Chase Perry haven't been returned.
Edith Newlin worked at a nursery school in Alstead, New Hampshire. She died in 2004.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the show's producers and distributors.
