X Sues Music Publishers, Big Copyright Ruling, Bad Bunny Voice Lawsuit & More Music Law

This week's music law updates include a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk's X against the National Music Publishers’ Association and several publishers, alleging illegal efforts to force a blanket music license and misuse of takedown requests. A federal appeals court issued a groundbreaking ruling on copyright termination, allowing artists to reclaim rights to their music globally, not just within the U.S., potentially disrupting established industry practices.

Additionally, Bad Bunny is facing a lawsuit from a woman claiming unauthorized sampling of her voice on two hit songs. Other notable cases involve Cher seeking repayment from Sonny Bono’s widow, Salt-N-Pepa’s unsuccessful attempt to regain control of their master recordings, and Sean “Diddy” Combs appealing his convictions.

The week also saw rulings and settlements in cases involving Mary J. Blige, Katy Perry, Boosie Badazz, Live Nation/Ticketmaster, Muni Long, Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Ye (Kanye West), Lizzo, Chris Brown, Maverick City Music, Los Lobos, Adam Levine, Stacie Orrico, and Steve Aoki, covering a wide range of legal issues from defamation and harassment to royalty disputes and NFT promotions.

(Source：Billboard)