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UMG Asks Second Circuit to Reject Salt‑N‑Pepa Termination Appeal
Universal Music Group asked the Second Circuit on May 5, 2026 to reject Salt‑N‑Pepa’s bid to reclaim their masters under the Copyright Act’s termination right, arguing the duo’s lawsuit has a "foundational deficiency" because the 1986 deal was not signed by the artists.
Universal Music Group asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on May 5, 2026 to reject Salt‑N‑Pepa’s attempt to reclaim their late‑1980s and early‑1990s master recordings under the Copyright Act’s termination right.
The company filed a brief arguing the termination provision is not absolute and that the rappers’ suit has a “foundational deficiency.” The filing presses the lower‑court ruling that the 1986 record deal was between Next Plateau Records and producer Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor, not the artists themselves.
In January 2026 a New York federal judge dismissed Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton’s lawsuit on that basis. Salt‑N‑Pepa appealed. Their brief, backed by Irving Azoff’s Music Artists Coalition, said Congress intended termination rights to give creators a second chance to regain control of works signed away early in careers.
“While plaintiffs and their amici emphasize the congressional policy to give authors a second chance to capture the value of their creative works through a termination right, they ignore the extent to which the entire termination provision is itself a carefully balanced scheme that also places important limitations on when and how the right may be exercised,” UMG’s lawyers wrote.
UMG told the appeals court that one such limitation bars artists from terminating a copyright transfer made by a third party. The company said the district court applied a routine requirement: a copyright grant must come from the actual owner of the rights.
Salt‑N‑Pepa’s attorneys had not filed a public response when UMG’s brief was posted. The artists will submit a written reply and then face oral argument before a three‑judge panel, which will decide whether to reinstate the lawsuit.
The Salt‑N‑Pepa appeal is part of a wider legal fight over termination rights. Major labels, led by UMG, have challenged a recent ruling that extended termination rights beyond U.S. borders. UMG, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and BMG jointly acquired the disputed copyright in that case to take the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court. The companies have begun asking the justices to review the decision.
