Salt-N-Pepa’s Master Recording Lawsuit Against UMG Dismissed by Judge

A judge has thrown out Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) that sought to retake control of the iconic hip-hop duo’s master recordings.

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton have been attempting to exercise their so-called “termination rights” under Section 203 of the Copyright Act, under which artists can claw back their masters decades after signing away the copyrights. The duo sued UMG in May after the company refused the request.

UMG maintains that Salt-N-Pepa do not have any termination rights because they didn’t actually sign their 1986 record deal with imprint Next Plateau Records. Judge Denise Cote sided with UMG on Thursday (Jan. 8) after finding that the rappers’ contract was solely between Next Plateau and Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, an entity controlled by music producer Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor.

“The only copyright transfer effectuated by these agreements was the one from NITA to Next Plateau Records,” wrote the judge. “And the statutory text in Section 203 is clear: plaintiffs can only terminate copyright transfers that they executed. They cannot terminate a copyright grant executed by NITA. As a result, plaintiffs do not plausibly allege a claim for declaratory relief.”

Judge Cote dismissed the claims entirely as a result of these findings. In a statement shared with Billboard, a UMG spokesperson said the company is “gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuit.”

“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,” added the spokesperson. “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.”

Reps for Salt-N-Pepa did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday’s decision. The artists have the right to appeal Judge Cote’s dismissal order if they so choose.