Supreme Court Won't Overturn Landmark Music Copyright Termination Ruling
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on October 19 rejected a challenge by a group of music labels to a judicial decision holding that the law allowing creators to terminate copyright grants and reclaim their rights applies globally, not only to U.S. copyrights, Reuters reported. The justices left in place a ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals siding with songwriter Cyril Vetter in a dispute over 'Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love),' a 1960s rock hit he co-wrote with the late Donald Smith. Vetter and Smith wrote the song in 1962 and transferred their copyrights to Windsong Music Publishers in 1963; the Swingin' Medallions made it famous in 1966. The publishing arms of BMG, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music appealed, arguing the ruling would cause chaos and threaten agreements worth billions of dollars. Four of the court's nine justices did not participate and gave no reason for their recusal; the remaining justices determined the case could not be resolved in the coming term, leaving the lower court's ruling in place. U.S. copyright law allows artists, under certain conditions, to terminate transfer agreements after decades and reclaim their rights — for example, pre-1978 grants must be at least 56 years old and the work must not have been made for hire — a provision meant to address the weak bargaining power of unknown artists. Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America, said the organization was 'thrilled and gratified' by the decision.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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