According to reports, members of the 2 Live Crew are now facing a lawsuit after trying to reclaim control of their music catalog.
The crew members were hit with a lawsuit where label Lil Joe Records asked a court to prevent the group from using the termination right, which would let the group take back ownership of their works, with the stipulation saying they can take back their work even after decades.
Lil Joe Records said they purchased 2 Live Crew’s catalog in 1995 after Luke Records Inc. went bankrupt. The deal reportedly found Luke Records giving up masters, publishing rights, and trademarks for the group’s name. The issues started for 2 Live Crew when they let the label know they were going to invoke the termination provision to regain control of their catalog, with the notice being filed by Uncle Luke, Mark Ross, and the heirs to late member Christopher Wong Won.
Lil Joe is reportedly planning on arguing that 2 Live Crew’s music was created as work-for-hire for their record label. If it is proven that they were work-for-hire, that means the crew did not own the rights to their music at all. Stay tuned for more updates.
source: Billboard
