Originally from:

Journal of American Arbitration (JAA) - Vol. 2, No. 2

Preview Page

ARTICLES

United States District Court of Nevada
Compels Arbitration in Germaine Music v.
Universal Songs of Polygram
By Stacey M. Brewer
 

I. OVERVIEW
General Crook (Crook), doing business as Germaine Music,
claimed that he owned the copyrights to twenty-seven songs.1 Crook
filed suit against Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and UMG Recordings,
Inc. (UMG), claiming “that BMI and UMG infringed upon his
copyrights by ‘annexing’ twenty-seven titles without paying him.”2
Crook further alleged that BMI paid the royalties that BMI owed him to
UMG, which was acting under the name “Donovan Germaine Music.”3
One of the songs at issue was “Message to the World,” which Crook
claimed the singing group the “Chi-Lites” performed and recorded on
their album, “Happy Being Lonely.”4 The Chi-Lites had a recording
agreement with UMG’s predecessor, who recorded the album, and Crook
claimed he had the “Mechanical Licensing Agreement” with UMG.5
BMI, a nonprofit corporation, “‘collect[s] performance royalties on the
writers’ and publishers’ behalf and . . . distribute[s] the monies . . .