Cher wins royalties lawsuit against Sonny Bono's widow

[sl8]

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/article/2024/may/30/cher-wins-royalties-lawsuit-against-sonny-bonos-widow

Cher wins royalties lawsuit against Sonny Bono’s widow

Mary Bono had argued that she no longer needed to pay royalties to Cher after invoking a feature of US copyright law, but a judge has ruled otherwise

Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Thu 30 May 2024 05.12 EDT

Cher has prevailed in a long-running lawsuit that she filed against the widow of her former musical partner and husband, Sonny Bono.

Cher had received royalties from her chart-topping song catalogue with Bono since an agreement in their 1978 divorce settlement, that stated publishing revenue would be split evenly between the pair. Bono died in 1998, and his share passed to his heirs.

In 2016, widow Mary Bono – a politician who succeeded Sonny in the US House of Representatives following his death – exercised a feature of copyright law that allows songwriters and their heirs to win back rights they have signed away, arguing that she now owned Sonny’s publishing rights. Royalties were withheld from Cher in 2021, and the singer sued, with her lawyers arguing the termination clause used by Mary was “wholly inapplicable” to the royalty split agreed in the divorce settlement.

That case has now been found in Cher’s favour, with a judge ruling that “a right to receive royalties is distinct from a grant of copyright”, and that Cher should continue receiving financial compensation per the agreement.

[...]

[underpants]

1. Glad she's getting her share

[hlthe2b]

2. Mary Bono is a selfish RW grifter. I am very glad Cher got her part of the royalties back.

[Think. Again.]

3. That Bono woman is a rightwinger, which explains her effort to cheat and steal.

[llmart]

5. If Sonny were alive, he'd probably be a rightwinger also.

[Javaman]

7. sonny ran on the republican ticket nt

[llmart]

9. Yes, I knew that.

That's why I figured he'd be a rightwinger these days.

Also, he had a terrible voice, so it was Cher that was always the main attraction for that duo.

[niyad]

8. Sonny was a republican, and into scientology. I just looked up his bio

on wiki, and one thing set my teeth on edge. He gave newt gingrich advice on howbto handle the media when newt became, in sonny's words, a celebrity instead of a politician.

[sunnybrook]

4. Seriously without Cher

It's not like Sonny Bono would have been getting these checks at all. Cher was always the star. Infuriating that his later wife thought she deserved Cher's part as an heir. I believe in life after love! Also...

?si=Pn9i8NTEYcj_Fw_c

[Bengus81]

6. I agree on the talent but Sonny got his foot in the door for them....

Kind of like we may have never had a group called the Beatles without George Martin.

[sunnybrook]

11. It was a team

And his business acumen is part of it. But shutting her out completely? Where would he have gotten without her? The widow still gets his half. She wanted it all. I would argue Cher even deserves more than half.

[tanyev]

10. You want royalties, Mary? Go record something yourself.

Maybe Lara Trump will do a duet with you.

[rurallib]

13. they could call themselves Mary-Lara-go

[Mr. Sparkle]

12. I somehow knew Mary Bono was a republican

It's the greed that always oust them

[Faux pas]

14. Cher earned it

mary married it.