Issue No. 067 · Story 03 · October 21, 2026

Supreme Court Leaves Worldwide Music-Rights Ruling Intact

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment in songwriter Cyril Vetter's copyright dispute because it lacked a quorum, not after a decision on the merits. The October 19 order leaves intact a Fifth Circuit ruling recognizing the recovery of worldwide rights in Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love) following termination of an earlier grant.

§Four justices did not participate, leaving fewer than the six needed for a quorum.
§The Court applied 28 U.S.C. Section 2109, giving the affirmance the same effect as an equally divided Court.
§BMG, Capitol CMG, Essential Music Publishing and Warner-Tamerlane sought review. The order does not establish a nationwide Supreme Court rule on foreign rights.

THE TAKEAWAY

The dispute concerns whether statutory termination returns only U.S. rights or also foreign rights under a worldwide grant. The judgment remains in place without a Supreme Court merits resolution of that question.

Filing: ESCA Filings

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