Marley Family Loses Case
Ain’t this a bunch of shit. A U.S. District Judge in Manhattan said that UMG Recordings is the rightful owner of copyrights to five of Bob Marley’s albums that he put out during 1973 and 1977, which is basically his best stuff. The albums are Catch a Fire, Burnin’, Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibrations and Exodus.
The Marley family accused UMG of intentionally withholding royalties from the Marley company, Fifty-Six Hope Road Music Ltd. They also said that UMG failed to consult them on licensing decisions which included ringtones.
This judge said “Each of the agreements provided that the sound recordings were the ‘absolute property’ of Island. Whether Marley would have recorded his music even if he had not entered the recording agreements with Island is beside the point.”
