A federal judge sided with the family of a producer, finding the wife of the late Broadway lyricist Bob Merrill had no right to cancel a more than 50-year-old royalty agreement under the copyright act.

Bob Merrill wrote and copyrighted the lyrics to the musical “Funny Girl,” including the now-classic song “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” In November 1963, Merrill and his co-authors struck a deal with a company to produce the musical.