The major music companies filed a hotly-anticipated case at the U.S. Supreme Court aimed at reversing a first-ever ruling on copyright termination, calling it a “profoundly wrong” decision they say will cause “chaos” for the music business.
The ruling, won in January by songwriter Cyril Vetter, said artists can use termination to regain not only American copyrights, but also overseas rights to the same songs — overturning decades of precedent and industry practice. It was hailed as a “game-changer” for musicians, but seen as dangerously incorrect by publishers, labels and investors.
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In a June 11 petition obtained and first reported by Billboard on Wednesday (June 17), the major labels didn’t hold back — calling Vetter a “headscratching” and “startling” ruling that would be “every bit as disruptive as it sounds” if it was not quickly reversed by the high court.
“In a single stroke, the decision below unsettled 50 years of industry practice,” writes Paul Clement, the elite Supreme Court attorney representing Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, as well as BMG. “[It] immediately calls into question the scope and meaning of countless negotiated agreements backed by billions of dollars.”
