When is a pre-1972 recording not a pre-1972 recording? And in which courts? CBS Radiio offers an unexpected answer to those questions, as it seeks to dismiss a lawsuit brought by ABS Entertainment, which is suing for unpaid royalties under California law. Continue Reading
Will they or won’t they? After filing a suit against iHeartMedia last week in Illinois only to dismiss it three days later, ABS Entertainment has reopened the case. The company, which represents Arthur and Barbara Sheridan, is seeking royalties for songs recorded prior to 1972. Continue Reading
Late last week, Arthur and Barbara Sheridan’s ABS Entertainment company launched a new legal foray for copyright royalty charges against iHeartMedia in Illinois. However, three days after filing the suit, ABS filed to dismiss the charges. Continue Reading
The legal battles over royalties for songs recorded prior to 1972 have been an ongoing headache for labels and streaming services alike. Pandora has been the subject of a couple legal forays in this regard, including one lawsuit filed by recording companies in New York State Supreme Court. The New York Post has reported that Pandora may be on the brink of a settlement to end that case. Continue Reading
Traditional radio is now a litigation target over music licensing of pre-1972 recordings, thanks to an action filed in a California state court by ABS Entertainment. Will the lawsuit reach beyond the webcast streams of the radio groiups targeted? Continue Reading
Last month, Sirius XM agreed to a $210 million settlement with labels regarding copyright royalties for playing songs recorded prior to 1972. Although that ruling did not appear to have any bearing on the other legal cases artists have brought against the satellite radio company, Flo & Eddie is trying to block the deal. Continue Reading
the legal issues around pre-1972 music royalty disputes are complex, tangled by conflicting federal and state regulations. State-court lawsuits in New York and California have favored plaintiffs seeking royalties from Pandora and Sirius XM, but a recent decision in Florida went the other way. Broadcast law attorney David Oxenford untangles. Continue Reading
Sirius XM has agreed to pay $210 million to settle a lawsuit centered on royalties for recordings made before 1972. The settlement covers about 80% of oldies played by Sirius, and allows the satellite radio company to play those labels’ old recordings through the end of 2017. Continue Reading
Sirius XM was on a big losing streak in its series of lawsuits filed by Flo & Eddie, the company representing members of The Turtles. Flo & Eddie has sued Sirius XM in three states for its public performance of the band’s songs recorded prior to 1972 when federal copyright law took effect. While the suits in New York and California have been favoring the case made by Flo & Eddie, Sirius XM just got a win in Florida. Continue Reading
U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez has approved class action status for Flo & Eddie’s lawsuit against Sirius XM. The new class action certification means that other artists whose music was recorded before the advent of federal copyright law can join the lawsuit to seek damages. Sirius XM had argued that it would be difficult to calculate damages for the different artists joining the suit, but was unable to convince the judge. Continue Reading
SiriusXM and Flo & Eddie, the company representing 60s band the Turtles, have been playing legal ping pong over the copyright for songs that were recorded prior to 1972, the date when federal copyright law took effect. The latest salvo comes from the satellite radio company, which has successfully petitioned the 2nd Circuit court to receive a review of the decisions handed down in the New York case by Judge Colleen McMahon. Continue Reading
U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon has granted Sirius XM the right to appeal its New York lawsuit over royalties for pre-1972 recordings. McMahon wrote that she granted appeal permission because of “a critically important controlling question of law” and uncertainty about whether Sirius XM had fair use to make temporary copies of the music. She determined that the case “warrants a close look by a controlling court.” Continue Reading