Majors and BMG lose Supreme Court fight over songwriters’ worldwide copyright reclaims – on a technicality
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The US Supreme Court has left standing a ruling allowing songwriters to reclaim copyright worldwide, after four justices recused themselves and the remaining five could not hear the case. The decision was procedural, so the court did not settle the legal question on its merits.
The ruling applies to federal courts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, but does not create a nationwide precedent; courts elsewhere could reach a different conclusion. The dispute concerns “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)”, written in 1962: Cyril Vetter reclaimed rights granted in 1963, and lower courts found he owned them worldwide. US law allows certain copyright grants to be terminated after 56 years for works from before 1978 and after 35 years for later works.
- Supreme Court leaves worldwide reclaim ruling in place.
- Four justices recused themselves, preventing a merits decision.
- The ruling binds federal courts in three states.