DIGITAL ROYALTIES TIMELINE
The Digital Royalties Lawsuits Timeline
Follow CMU’s coverage of the legal battles over digital royalties | CLICK for more timelines
ALLMAN BROTHERS ET AL V SONY MUSIC
May 2006
• Rock bands sue over cut of digital revenues
July 2006
• Dr Elmo joins Sony digital music lawsuit
March 2007
• The Youngbloodz sue SonyBMG
April 2007
• Youngbloodz(s) clarification
March 2009
• Allman Brothers Sony lawsuit gets green light
March 2012
• Sony close to settling the first big digital royalty dispute
• Allman Brothers and Cheap Trick possibly have separate digital deals
FBT PRODUCTIONS V UNIVERSAL MUSIC
May 2007
• Eminem producers sue over digital royalties
February 2009
• Eminem producer lawsuit could have big ramifications
March 2009
• Universal win Shady tunes court fight
September 2010
• Appeal court rules in Eminem producers’ favour
October 2010
• Ninth Circuit refuses to rehear Eminem royalty split case
December 2010
• Universal takes FBT dispute to Supreme Court
February 2011
• Is Universal employing delaying tactics in FBT case?
March 2011
• Supreme court refuses to hear Universal’s FBT appeal
February 2012
• FBT court papers suggest Universal may owe $4 million in digital royalties
May 2012
• Apple insists FBT case submissions should remain a secret
June 2012
• Judge allows international royalties dispute to feature at next hearing
October 2012
• Universal settles with FBT Productions over digital royalties
OTHER ARTISTS SUE & THE POST-FBT CLASS ACTIONS
April 2011
• Rick James estate to test extent of FBT ruling
May 2011
• More legacy artists sue for bigger digital royalty share
November 2011
• Judge allows digital royalties class action to proceed
February 2012
• Warner pulled into digital royalties dispute via Sister Sledge lawsuit
• Kenny Rogers sues EMI over digital royalties
• Toto pull Sony Music into digital royalties debate
March 2012
• Sony close to settling the first big digital royalty dispute
• Temptations join digital royalty dispute party
• Sony try to get Toto’s digital royalties action dismissed
• Warner faces new digital royalties lawsuit
April 2012
• ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic joins digital royalty fight
• The Motels file latest digital royalties lawsuit in the US
May 2012
• Doobie Brother joins digital royalties litigation party
September 2012
• James Taylor sues Warner over digital royalties
• Two more artists sue Sony over digital royalties
May 2013
• Data squabble underway in Universal’s ongoing digital royalties battle
July 2013
• Doobie Brother settles in digital royalty squabble
• US rocker settles digital royalties dispute with Sony
October 2013
• Digital royalties dispute is brewing in Europe too
December 2013
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic settles lawsuit with Sony Music
January 2014
• Warner tries to settle digital royalties class action
• Counting Crows sue for bigger digital cut
February 2014
• Survivor join the digital royalty fight
• Warner launches website to explain proposed digital royalties settlement
May 2014
• Brad Paisley lawsuit could have digital royalties dimension
• Sony responds to Brad Paisley’s latest royalty dispute manoeuvre
• Universal calls for myriad digital royalty lawsuits to be dismissed
March 2015
• Universal preparing to settle digital royalty class actions
April 2015
• Universal proposes settlement in long running digital royalties dispute
May 2014
• Brad Paisley lawsuit could have digital royalties dimension
THE 19 V SONY CASE
February 2014
• 19 Entertainment sues Sony over royalties
July 2014
• Sony’s move to have 19 lawsuit dismissed covers file-sharing legal battle loot
March 2015
• Sony fails to knock out 19’s Idol stars lawsuit
April 2015
• Sony hits back in 19 lawsuit, claims it overpaid former Idols
May 2015
• More legal wrangling in 19 v Sony battle
June 2015
• 19 adds the ‘Spotify equity issue’ to its big Sony Music legal battle
July 2015
• Sony Music on Spotify equity issue: no obligation to artists
• FAC hits out at Sony legal filing, welcomes Berklee report
September 2016
• Too much ambiguity in Sony’s streaming deals for summary judgement
THE MAKING AVAILABLE CASES
March 2015
• Finnish case could set interesting precedent over pre-iTunes catalogue
September 2015
• Johan Johansson to be culled from Spotify after ‘making available’ win
MORE RECENT ROYALTY DISPUTES INVOLVING SALES V LICENCE
December 2015
• Elvis estate suing on digital royalties
October 2016
• Quincy Jones lawsuit to include sales v licence debate, delays court date
March 2016
• Elvis Presley Enterprises suffers set back in long-running Sony legal battle
January 2017
• The Carpenters sue Universal over unpaid royalties
• Quincy Jones’ Jackson Estate lawsuit to proceed to trial
Last updated: January 2017