Bob Dylan has won a royalty lawsuit against the estate of his late former co-writer Jacques Levy.
The estate of Levy, who co-wrote Dylan’s 1976 album Desire, was handed a defeat on Friday in a lawsuit against Bob Dylan and Universal Music Group.
The lawsuit had aimed to establish co-ownership of the 10 songs that Levy played a part in writing, including hits like ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Isis’.
“We’re pleased with today’s decision,” Dylan’s lawyer Orin Snyder said in a statement(via Variety).
“As we said when the case was filed, this lawsuit was a sad attempt to profit off the recent catalog sale. We’re glad it’s now over.”
The lawsuit was filed by Levy’s widow, Claudia Levy, back in January after Dylan sold his publishing catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group.
As reported by Variety, The lawsuit contended that the estate was entitled to a portion of the USD $300 million that Dylan reportedly pocketed from the sale.
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Lawyers representing Levy’s estate asked for $1.75million from the catalog sale, along with $2million in punitive damages.
However, Dylan and Universal Music Publishing Group’s lawyers argued that the original agreement drafted between Dylan and Levy back in 1975 clearly stated that he would not own any of the material and that his profit participation would consist of a share of songwriting royalties.
Ultimately, Judge Barry Ostrager of the Supreme Court of New York sided with Dulan, saying, “upon review of the 1975 Agreement and the competing arguments, the Court finds the Agreement is clear and unambiguous on its face when read as a whole.”
“For the reasons explained here, the Court determines that the plain meaning of the 1975 Agreement is that the Dylan Defendants owned all copyrights to the Compositions, as well as the absolute right to sell the Compositions and all associated rights, subject only to plaintiffs’ right to receive the compensation specified in the 1975 Agreement, which does not include any portion of the proceeds from Dylan’s sale of his own rights to the Universal Defendants,” Ostrager said in his 18-page decision.
For more on this topic, head over to the Classic Rock Observer.
Check out ‘Hurricane’ by Bob Dylan:
