Publisher wins rights battle over Steinbeck books

U.S. court was wrong to award rights to some of John Steinbeck’s best-known novels, including “The Grapes of Wrath,” to his son and granddaughter, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The appeals court decision overturns a 2006 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Owen in New York that had granted the rights to about 10 books to Steinbeck’s son, Thomas Steinbeck, and granddaughter, Blake Smyle.