We are pleased to announce that the lawsuit filed against Salt-N-Pepa by UMG has been dismissed. This legal victory is a positive outcome for the iconic hip-hop duo, and we are grateful for the support of their fans throughout this process. We will continue to focus on creating music and entertaining audiences around the world. Thank you for your continued support.
Music News: Salt-N-Pepa’s UMG Lawsuit Dismissed
A judge has thrown out Salt-N-Pepa‘s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).
The suit sought to retake control of the hip-hop duo’s master recordings.
Cheryl ‘Salt’ James and Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton attempted to exercise their so-called “termination rights†under Section 203 of the Copyright Act, under which artists can claw back their masters decades after signing away the copyrights.
The duo sued UMG in May after the company refused the request.
“When you’re an artist, in the beginning, you sign a contract saying that the copyrights will revert back to you after 35 years,†James told Good Morning America in August.
Denton and James further claimed UMG had removed some of their biggest hits, including Push It, from streaming platforms amid the legal stoush.
UMG maintained that Salt-N-Pepa did not have any termination rights because they didn’t actually sign their 1986 record deal with imprint Next Plateau Records.
Judge Denise Cote sided with UMG on Thursday and dismissed the claims entirely as a result of these findings.
In a statement shared with Billboard, a UMG spokesperson said the company is “gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuitâ€.
Salt-N-Pepa have the right to appeal the dismissal order if they choose to do so.
Image: David Burke
Author: Brad LeBeau (promotionmusicnews.com)Cats: Quotes,salt-n-pepa
Hashtags: #SaltNPepas #UMG #Lawsuit #Dismissed