The estate of jazz musician and band leader Duke Ellington lost its appeal in the New York State Court of Appeals. The Ellington heirs were appealing the dismissal of their case against EMI Music Publishing, which claimed that the publishing company was paying commissions to international subsidiaries to lower the total royalties amount before it was split between the company and the estate. The royalties split agreement is per a contract between Ellington and EMI.
The case was dismissed due to the contract being created prior to EMI acquiring the subsidiaries. A similar lawsuit is ongoing between the estate of songwriter John Stewart and Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
See David La Rosa, Courts Rule Against Duke Ellington Heirs in Royalty Dispute, The Jazz Line, Jan. 19, 2015.
