Prince's estate awarded millions in claim for unauthorised music release

The estate of the late music icon Prince continues to vigorously protect the artist's intellectual property. In September last year we reported on the steps the estate had taken against individuals who had illegally released bootleg versions of the artist's songs without seeking permission. The full article can be read here.

More recently, the estate has succeeded in a legal battle against Ian Boxhill, a Grammy award winning music engineer.  The estate filed a claim after Boxhill uploaded a song to a streaming site that he made with Prince entitled 'Deliverance'. The song was released online ahead of the anniversary of Prince's death.

In 2006 and 2007 Boxhill worked with Prince on his albums 3121 and Planet Earth. The engineer stated the songs from the EP were from that time and since Prince's death in 2016, he has been finalising the songs for release.

Upon discovering the release of the unauthorised track, the estate filed for a restraining order against the release of the music as well as for breach of contract. In the ruling, the judge granted the restraining order and ordered $3 million USD to be paid to the estate for breach of contract.

The ruling was made last August, however the court documents have just become publicly available.  The estate has previously commented on how seriously the artist took his intellectual property rights during his life. Despite the musician's tragic death, it appears his estate has continued to protect his work in line with the star's ethos.

If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniel & Co. on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.