Mary Bono Files Appeal Following Cher Copyright Victory

Photo Credit: Cher by Raph_PH / CC by 2.0

Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary, files an appeal following a federal judge’s ruling last year that Cher is still entitled to 50% of the proceeds from her 1960s hits with Sonny.

Last year, a federal judge ruled that Cher is still entitled to half of the publishing proceeds from her early hits with her ex, Sonny Bono, including “I Got You Babe.” Now, a year and a half later, Sonny’s widow Mary Bono has filed an appeal.

Mary has been trying to stop paying royalties to Cher under so-called termination rights, under which artists and their heirs can gain back control of intellectual property years after signing it away. But last year, a federal judge ruled that termination rights do not apply to Sonny and Cher’s 1978 divorce settlement, which entitled Cher to a 50% cut of publishing revenue from hits like “I Got You Babe,” “The Beat Goes On,” and “Baby Don’t Go” in perpetuity.

In May 2024, California federal U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt ruled in Cher’s favor—but the decision wasn’t made official until a final judgment that was entered just last month. That judgment was appealed by Mary Bono’s attorney, Daniel Schacht, to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday (December 22).

Mary Bono has argued that she should be able to invoke her termination rights to cancel Sonny’s assignment of royalties to Cher in the divorce settlement. But Judge Kronstadt ruled that the divorce agreement was a contract for financial compensation, not a grant of IP that would be subject to termination, writing that, “A right to receive royalties is distinct from a grant of copyright.”

“[Judge Kronstadt’s got the law wrong on copyright terminations,” Schacht told Billboard. “His ruling, if left standing, will hurt songwriters and creators by allowing not just former spouses, but also publishers and labels, to circumvent the Copyright Act and keep shares of royalties even after terminations,” he said at the time of the judge’s ruling last year.

Cher was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live over the weekend, while Ariana Grande hosted the episode. But the 79-year-old has been accused of lip-syncing during her performance of her 2023 Christmas track, “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” which left some fans disappointed.

“She isn’t even singing,” one person complained on X. “This is some of the worst lip-syncing I have ever seen.”

“Why lip sync?” complained another viewer on the YouTube video of the performance. “Such a beautiful song and such an amazing artist.”

However, others argued that it doesn’t matter if the legendary singer lip-syncs on the program or not—especially given her advanced age and the level of her celebrity.

“Who cares if she’s lip-syncing? She’s Cher, bitch!” added another fan on the former Twitter. “She’s an icon,” said someone else. “Lip sync if you want, queen!”

Lip-syncing controversy aside, Cher’s performance marked her return to the SNL stage for the first time in 38 years. However, she’s been featured on the show a few times, just not as a musical guest; she even appeared in SNL50: The Homecoming Concert.