Last year, Salt-N-Pepa’s Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton filed suit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over the rights to their catalog, claiming that the label had pulled the duo’s songs from streaming platforms after they attempted to regain control of their masters. Lawyers for UMG subsequently filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and today (Thursday, January 8), a judge in New York’s Southern District Court ruled in their favor.
James and Denton—Salt-N-Pepa’s former DJ, Spinderella, was not party to the complaint—based their claim on the “termination rights” outlined in Section 203 of the Copyright Act of 1976, which allow artists to reclaim the copyrights on their master recordings after several decades. However, in a copy of her decision obtained by Pitchfork, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote finds that Salt-N-Pepa never owned their masters to begin with; the group had originally granted ownership to their first label, Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, and were not included in the contract that transferred those rights to UMG predecessor Next Plateau Records in 1986.
In a statement to Pitchfork, a UMG spokesperson wrote, “While we are gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuit, it should never have been brought in the first place. Prior to this suit—and without any legal obligation to do so—we made multiple attempts to resolve the matter amicably, improve the artists’ compensation, and ensure that Salt-N-Pepa’s fans had access to their music. Even with the court’s complete rejection of their claims, we remain open and willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come.”
“We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision and fully intend to pursue our rights on appeal,” Salt-N-Pepa wrote in response to the dismissal. “We remain committed to vindicating and reclaiming our rights as creators under the Copyright Act.”
This story has been updated with a statement from Salt-N-Pepa.
