Key facts
- Music labels BMG, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music challenged a ruling on copyright termination.
- The ruling stated that US copyright termination laws apply globally, not just to US copyrights.
- The case involved the song "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)," co-written by Cyril Vetter and the late Donald Smith.
- Vetter invoked copyright law to terminate his transfer agreement for the song in 2019.
- A federal judge ruled in 2025 that Vetter was the sole owner of his reclaimed copyright worldwide.
- The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the judge's ruling in January.
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge by music labels BMG, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music to a ruling that US copyright termination laws apply globally. The justices upheld a decision by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which sided with songwriter Cyril Vetter in a dispute over his co-written song "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)."
Vetter invoked a provision of US copyright law that allows artists to reclaim rights after decades, sending a termination notice in 2019 for the 1962 song. A federal judge ruled in 2025 that Vetter was the sole owner of the copyright worldwide, a decision affirmed by the 5th Circuit in January. The music labels, who acquired an interest in the copyright, argued the ruling would disrupt industry practices and threaten billions of dollars in agreements. Four of the nine justices did not participate in the appeal.