UMG faces looming battle over copyright termination

UMG faces looming battle over copyright termination

At issue in the cases is the alleged refusal of both UMG and Sony to honor the termination right when it comes to sound recordings. Unlike underlying musical compositions, the labels have apparently told artists that recordings are mostly off-limits. The argument for that? That recordings are “works for hire,” meaning the label essentially creates the masters itself, and simply hires artists to contribute to them.

There’s little clear case law on whether such an argument holds water, but needless to say, it has major implications for the music industry. – by Ashleigh Durden / Billboard – The Legal Beat