Legal Opinion
Greenfield v. Philles Records, Inc.
New York Court of Appeals
Decided October 17, 2002PublishedCited by 1,049 opinions
POINTS OF COUNSEL
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT
Graffeo, J.
In this contract dispute between a singing group and their record producer, we must determine whether the artists’ transfer of full ownership rights to the master recordings of musical performances carried with it the unconditional right of the producer to redistribute those performances in any technological format. In the absence of an explicit contractual reservation of rights by the artists, we conclude that it did.
In the early 1960s, Veronica Bennett (now known as Ronnie Greenfield), her sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley, formed a singing…
2Cases cited24 opinions
- W.W.W. Associates, Inc. v. GiancontieriNew York Court of Appeals · 1990
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. G. W. Thomas Drayage & Rigging Co.California Supreme Court · 1968
- Breed v. Insurance Co. of North AmericaNew York Court of Appeals · 1978
- Kass v. KassNew York Court of Appeals · 1998
- First National Stores, Inc. v. Yellowstone Shopping Center, Inc.New York Court of Appeals · 1968
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3Cited by1,049 opinions
- Eternity Global Master Fund Limited v. Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York and Jpmorgan Chase BankCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2004
- Bayerische Landesbank, New York Branch v. Aladdin Capital Management LLCCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2012
- LAW DEBENTURE TRUST CO. OF NY. v. Maverick Tube Corp.Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2010
- AEP Energy Services Gas Holding Co. v. Bank of America, N.A.Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2010
- UBS Financial Services, Inc. v. West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2011
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