Photo: Cher | By Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone | Is Cher’s $1 million royalties claim against Mary Bono strong enough? A judge seems to think so. At a court hearing Monday, a federal judge said he believes Cher is entitled to receive ongoing composition royalties from songs including “I Got U Babe” and “The Beat Goes On” as outlined in her 1978 divorce agreement with Sonny Bono – despite Sonny’s heirs exercising their right to recapture his underlying copyrights under the federal Copyright Act.
In his tentative ruling delivered from the bench, U.S. District Judge John Kronstadt said he believes the marital settlement agreement (MSA) awarded Cher a specific cut of incoming proceeds — as opposed to a copyright grant — so her claim is protected by state contract law and not subject to the termination rules of a copyright right. He said that distinction answers the “key question” of the case, and he was leaning toward ruling in Cher’s favor.
“The plain language of the MSA grants the right to the proceeds of the musical compositions and interests, not to the underlying copyrights,” he said in his federal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles. “I don’t think the notice of termination can affect (Cher’s) notice of contractual rights under the MSA.”
> > > > > > > > > >
Read the rest of this case involving Copyright Law and Heirs Rights here:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/judge-sides-cher-tentative-ruling-014209938.html
Photo: Cher’s Christmas album
Judge Sides with Cher in Tentative Ruling That Could End $1 Million Royalties War With Mary Bono
