Is Lennon/McCartney Legal?

Question

Lennon and McCartney agreed that any song for The Beatles that one or both of them wrote would be credited to both of them.

Is this legal? I would seem to me that this agreement should be fraud and therefore illegal as claiming copyright on a work that one of them did not write could extend copyright based on years after death to when that last supposed author died and not when the only real author died. Can someone claim there 1 month old baby was a co-author for this purpose?

Answer 1

It's a civil contract, and as long as all parties agree, then I don't why it wouldn't be legal.  Stranger things have been held to be so.

Answer 2

Interesting example.  I'm sure it is legal.

What needs to change is the law.  I think these things should go into the "public domain" much sooner.  Congress does not represent us.