Courtesy of Theo Wargo/Getty Images for RRHOF
On Thursday (Jan. 8), a New York court dismissed the pioneering rap duo’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group, ruling that Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton never owned the copyrights to their master recordings in the first place, and therefore can’t take them back under U.S. copyright law.
The case, filed in May of 2025, hinged on the artists’ effort to use the Copyright Act’s termination provision, which allows creators to reclaim rights decades after signing them away. But Judge Denise Cote found that the contracts signed in 1986 tell a different story. In her words, the contracts “do not indicate that Plaintiffs ever owned the copyrights to the sound recordings or that they granted a transfer of those rights to anyone else.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s early recordings were owned by their producer Hurby Azor’s company, Noise In The Attic, which then transferred those rights to Next Plateau Records, a catalog now controlled by UMG.
Salt-N-Pepa never owned the copyrights, so they cannot use Section 203 of the Copyright Act to reclaim them. Section 203 only applies to those who at somepoint owned the material in the past and transferred the copyrights.
In a statement, Universal said it was pleased with the decision and added that it remains open to finding a way forward that honors and promotes Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy.
They stated, “Even with the court’s complete rejection of their claims, we remain open and willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come.”
About the Author
