Hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa has sued Common Music Group (UMG), alleging the music firm is stopping them from reclaiming possession of their grasp recordings, in breach of US copyright legal guidelines.
The group is accusing UMG of partaking in “self-interested and heavy-handed ways” to dam them from exercising their termination rights below copyright regulation, in line with the lawsuit filed Monday (Might 19) within the Southern District Courtroom of New York.
Salt-N-Pepa’s Cheryl James and Sandra Denton want to regain management of their early catalog, which options hits like Push It, Let’s Discuss About Intercourse, and Shoop.
MBW has reached out to UMG for remark.
Their lawsuit facilities on Part 203 of the Copyright Act, which supplies creators the proper to reclaim their work 35 years after initially transferring the rights, offered they’ve correctly submitted termination notices.
The group mentioned they served termination notices in 2022, “desperate to retake full possession of their artwork and legacy.” Nonetheless, they mentioned UMG has refused to acknowledge their validity, claiming the recordings had been “works made for rent.”
“UMG’s punitive measure of ‘taking down’ the sound recordings… reasonably than relinquishing management of them to the rightful house owners, implies that Plaintiffs weren’t solely denied their rights to the sound recordings however that substantial royalties that might have in any other case been collected from the sound recordings had been additionally misplaced.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s authorized workforce
In line with Salt-N-Pepa’s grievance, UMG retaliated by eradicating the music from streaming platforms in Might 2024.
“UMG’s punitive measure of ‘taking down’ the sound recordings (which, mockingly, could be considered as an acknowledgment by UMG that it now not had exploitation rights) reasonably than relinquishing management of them to the rightful house owners, implies that Plaintiffs weren’t solely denied their rights to the sound recordings however that substantial royalties that might have in any other case been collected from the sound recordings had been additionally misplaced,” said the grievance, which could be learn in full right here.
In April 2025, Salt-N-Pepa terminated the Part 203 settlement “in mild of UMG’s obvious unwillingness to succeed in a decision.”
“UMG is successfully punishing Plaintiffs for daring to say their rights by stopping them from reaping any business profit from and/or in any other case exploiting the sound recordings after the efficient date of termination set forth on the Notices of Termination,” the 26-page grievance learn.
“UMG is successfully punishing Plaintiffs for daring to say their rights by stopping them from reaping any business profit from and/or in any other case exploiting the sound recordings after the efficient date of termination set forth on the Notices of Termination.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s authorized workforce
Salt-N-Pepa’s authorized workforce argued that the duo’s musical catalog will not be solely in depth but additionally extremely worthwhile, with royalties generated by their sound recordings producing about $1 million previously 5 months in synch licenses alone.
In addition they claimed that the catalog generates “tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} yearly by means of all types of exploitation, even though a long time have handed because the launch of their main hits and that there have been little to no latest advertising efforts.”
MBW has reached out UMG for remark.
The case marks the most recent in a sequence of lawsuits between legacy artists and main labels over copyright reversion rights.
In 2023, a federal choose in New York refused class-action certification for a lawsuit introduced by singer John Waite and different artists, who alleged that UMG, together with Sony Music Leisure, had refused to permit artists to terminate their copyright assignments below the 35-year rule.
Additionally in 2023, Warner Music Group settled a lawsuit introduced by Scottish band The Jesus and Mary Chain, which alleged that WMG had “refused to conform” with their request to take again their copyrights below Part 203.
The next 12 months, Sony Music settled the same case introduced by singer David Johansen of the New York Dolls, “Southside Johnny” John Lyon, and Paul Collins. The identical 12 months, a jury in Florida dominated that members of 2 Stay Crew can take again the grasp copyrights on their music, in a authorized dispute with Lil’ Joe Data.
Related disputes have occurred with artists like singer-songwriter Syd Straw, members of bands like The Dickies and The Dream Syndicate, and Paul McCartney.
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