Salt-N-Pepa v. UMG, copyright termination / masters reclaim

Background

In 2025, Cheryl "Salt" James and Sandra "Pepa" Denton sued Universal Music Group, arguing they are entitled under Section 203 of the Copyright Act of 1976 to terminate UMG's copyright grant in their master recordings, including the 1987 anthem "Push It." Section 203 allows creators to recapture copyrights assigned away more than 35 years ago, providing a second-chance window that was a cornerstone of the 1976 Act's artist-protection design.

The catch: Salt-N-Pepa's original recording agreements were executed not by the duo themselves but by NITA, a third-party production company. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote dismissed the case on January 8, 2026, finding that Section 203 only permits termination of transfers that the artists themselves executed, not transfers made by a third party on their behalf. In an appeal brief filed March 31, 2026, Salt-N-Pepa argued the dismissal was "riddled with error" and that the ruling would leave many artists from the pre-digital era permanently locked out of reclamation. UMG filed its response on May 5, 2026, insisting the statutory text is unambiguous.

Why It Matters for Artists and Fans

Thousands of artists from the 1980s and 1990s signed through production companies or management entities rather than directly with labels, making this a potentially sweeping precedent. If the Second Circuit affirms, it could permanently foreclose catalog reclamation for a generation of artists whose rights were originally transferred through intermediaries. A reversal, by contrast, would open the door for a wave of termination claims across the catalog holdings of every major label.