JAY-Z has scored a minor victory in his ongoing Roc-A-Fella Records dispute with Dame Dash, whose one-third ownership stake in the company is being sold off.
According to Billboard, Judge Robert W. Lehrburger has refused to rule on a point of copyright law regarding if the rights to Reasonable Doubt will revert back to Jov in 2031.
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The judge also rejected New York City’s attempt to conduct discovery into Roc-A-Fella’s financial holdings, saying that kind of investigation was also beyond the scope of the court.
The ruling means the questions over the long-term future of the rights to JAY-Z’s debut album will not be answered before Dash’s shares of Roc-A-Fella are put up for public auction as early as next month.
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JAY-Z had claimed that the copyright to the album, which is the only discernible asset of Roc-A-Fella Inc. (the rest of the label’s albums are housed by Roc-A-Fella LLC), expires in 2031, 35 years after its release.
Most authors have the right to claim back copyright of their creations 35 years after its creation thanks to a law established in the 1970s.
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If Jay was eligible for the right to take back the copyright, then that would severely limit the earning potential of any buyer of Dash’s shares in the company and album.
The City of New York claimed that the album is not eligible for copyright termination and that Jay was attempting to drive down the sale price at the auction.
The rapper’s lawyer Alex Spiro responded by saying there was “no merit” to the accusations.
The auction of Dame Dash’s shares is currently scheduled for October 21, with bids starting from $3 million.
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Dash does not have control over the shares or the auction as the sale is going ahead to help pay off his large debts.
The auction was originally ordered to pay his nearly $1 million debt to film producer Josh Webber, who successfully sued him for copyright infringement and defamation over the movie Dear Frank.
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Dash also owes New York State $8.7 million in back taxes and the City of New York $193,000 in child support.
