On Monday 8th February, country music star Dwight Yoakam filed a law suit in the Californian federal court against Warner Music Group, pursuing copyright termination enabling him to reclaim rights to his work.
Yoakams claims of copyright termination are per Section 203 of the US Copyright Act, providing authors of works to regain rights after a period of 35 years. Claims under this section are generally followed by invitations to renegotiate royalty rates; Rhino, a Warner subsidiary, followed Yoakams initial claims by offering negotiation, however, failed to provide a definitive answer as to which works would be allowed recapture by Yoakam, vaguely stating that some works would be ‘taken down’.
As a result of the unclarified negotiations, despite Yoakam following up and providing Warner with drafts of the legal complaints, Yoakam is pursuing a declaration of termination in addition to seeking damages for the alleged copyright infringement.
The country musician’s attorney, Richard Busch, commented that these termination rights available to artists to reclaim the copyright to their work are ‘essential rights that should not be interfered with or delayed’. Recordings hoping to be recaptured include ‘Honky Tonk Man’ and ‘Miner’s Prayer’.
By Ellie King, student from Southampton Solent University
