More than a year after its release, Sony has still not been paid for the use of Whitney Houston’s catalog in the film.
Sony Music Entertainment sued the producers of the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody last week, claiming that producers still haven’t paid for the use of Houston’s music catalog in the film, more than a year after its release.
In the complaint filed Thursday, Sony Music claims that the biopic’s producers, Anthem Films, Nybo Productions and Black Label Media, entered into a licensing agreement with the record company on December 5, 2022 and that payments for use of the catalog were expected in July 2023. (Sony redacted the specific cost of the license in the lawsuit).
Those payments were never made, according to the company, and Sony sent producers multiple nonpayment notices in August and October 2023. According to the lawsuit, after receiving the first letter, Anthem responded to Sony that she could pay for the music once she received a tax credit from the state of Massachusetts (where Anthem is headquartered). But according to the lawsuit, that clearly didn’t happen.
“ As a result of Anthem’s breaches, Defendants’ use of the SME recordings in the film was not authorized, and Defendants had no legal right to use the SME recordingsSony said in the complaint. Despite being informed of their unlawful conduct, the defendants continued to distribute and exploit the SME recordings in the film without authorization. »
A representative for Sony declined to comment on the complaint. Attempts to contact the accused production companies were unsuccessful. Anthem and Nybo are accused of direct copyright infringement, while Black Label Media is accused of vicarious copyright infringement.
Reviews for the biopic, which stars Naomi Ackie as Houston and Stanley Tucci as producer Clive Davis, have been mixed, and the film has grossed an estimated $60 million worldwide.
“ Defendants’ conduct has caused and continues to cause substantial and irreparable harm to Plaintiffs and the estate of Whitney Houston, while enriching Defendants at the expense of Plaintiffs and the estate of Whitney Houston. “, says the complaint.