Ricardo Montaner Sues UMG in the US and Venezuela

Singer Ricardo Montaner is suing UMG in two jurisdictions over the master rights to his first five albums, including seminal hit “La Cima Del Cielo.”

Argentine singer Ricardo Montaner is suing Universal Music Group (UMG) in both the United States and Venezuela over the master rights to his first five albums, spanning work from 1986 to 1992. That includes his early hits like “La Cima Del Cielo,” “Castillo Azul,” and “Piel Adentro.”

According to Montaner in a filing brought before a Florida federal court on Monday, those albums were originally recorded while he was signed to Love Records. He claims he entered into an agreement with the company in 1993 reverting the master rights to him. Further, he asserts that UMG only acted as a distributor beginning in 2001 and has paid him no royalties “whatsoever.”

On the flip side, UMG claims it owns Montaner’s masters via past acquisitions, including PolyGram N.V., which previously bought Love Records parent Rodven Records. Therefore, the major label claims that Montaner’s copyright termination notice is invalid.

Montaner initially served a copyright termination notice in 2022 to claw back his IP effective 2024 and signed an indie distribution deal with ADA Latin—a Warner Music Group (WMG) subsidiary—last year. But in April of this year, UMG sent a cease-and-desist to ADA, claiming ownership of those works. Notably, neither ADA nor WMG is named in the litigation or accused of any wrongdoing.

Now, Montaner is seeking a court-ordered declaration of ownership, an injunction against UMG preventing further interference, and over $1 million in damages to cover his unpaid royalties.

The matter is just the latest in a growing trend of artists fighting the majors in court to claw back their IP. UMG is actively fighting similar copyright termination cases, including a dispute with Salt-N-Pepa. That lawsuit was tossed out in January, but an appeal remains ongoing.

Meanwhile, UMG and the other major record labels recently petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge a ruling that termination rights can extend internationally. The labels argue that the ruling would be “disruptive” to the industry if adopted.