Cher’s $1 Million Royalty War With Sonny Bono’s Widow Tested in Court
On April 25, 2022, Rolling Stone published an article by Nancy Dillon on Cher’s lawsuit claiming Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary Bono, owes her $1 million in unpaid royalties for Sonny & Cher songs – including hits like “I Got You Babe”. The articles quote Daniel Schacht, attorney for Bono.
Excerpted from the article:
“Judge Kronstadt questioned terminating a hypothetical divorce agreement where, “like here,” a spouse agreed to share royalties in exchange for not having to pay spousal support. “Do you think that spouse would be remedy-less?” Judge Kronstadt asked.
Daniel Schacht said, “the court’s hypothetical raised a “fairness” question that seemed to work against his client’s position. But he argued that overall, the provision of the Copyright Act that allows artists and heirs terminate and recapture rights after many years is meant to enforce fairness and protect against unreasonable, never-ending deals controlling enduring works.
“This is a rule that has to be applied universally,” Schacht said. “And it’s not, quite frankly, the Chers of the world that Congress is worried about, it’s the publishers. They’re trying to protect authors and grant them another bite at the apple.”’
Read the full article, Cher’s $1 Million Royalty War With Sonny Bono’s Widow Tested in Court.