Sirius XM Legal Issues

SiriusXM Settles Royalty Lawsuit For $210 Million

June 29, 2015 (8:52 am) Spencer

Fresh off of what could only be considered a legal victory in Florida, SiriusXM Satellite Radio made a decision to settle a lawsuit regarding royalties of pre-1972 music. The company announced Friday that it was had reached a settlement on the issue and will pay $210 million. SiriusXM gets to use pre-1972 recordings without any additional payment through the end of 2017, and can then negotiate with parties regarding use of the recordings through 2022.

The suit originated from Flo and Eddie of the Turtles, which brought the case on behalf of themselves, and eventually sought and gained class action status. The Turtles are most famous for their song “Happy Together”. Current royalty law only covers recordings after 1972. SiriusXM does have a few direct deals negotiated with various parties regarding pre-1972 music. An example is the Elvis Channel on SiriusXM.

While the settlement is expensive, a cloud over the head of SiriusXM has been removed. The settlements may also pave the way for other settlements with companies like Pandora. SiriusXM is a highly profitable company, and should be able to absorb the settlement without much impact on the stock price. Stay Tuned!

SiriusXM Scores Court Victory In Pre-1972 Recordings

June 24, 2015 (3:33 pm) Spencer

The issue surrounding royalties for songs recorded before 1972 has not typically been a friendly one to SiriusXM. The satellite radio provider has found itself on the losing side of an argument about the payment of royalties for music fitting into that category. The issue arises because the… → Read More

Judge Certifies Class Action Suit For Pre-1972 Recordings

May 28, 2015 (9:06 am) Spencer

SiriusXM has seen better days. The satellite radio provider was dealt a bit of a blow this week when a federal judge certified that the Flo and Eddie lawsuit regarding royalties would garner class action status. Instead of Flo and Eddie against SiriusXM, it can now be anyone… → Read More

SiriusXM Sues To Protect Consumers

March 6, 2015 (1:07 pm) Spencer

In an interesting development, SiriusXM has sued “John Doe” in an effort to protect consumers from what appears to be a fraudulent scheme by a party that uses a similar phone number to that of SiriusXM’s customer service department to get consumer information, and take advantage of unsuspecting… → Read More

Can Old Lawsuit Help SiriusXM in New Lawsuit?

December 8, 2014 (9:55 am) Spencer

As many readers know, SiriusXM has faced some legal setbacks recently with regard to pre-1972 music recordings. The Turtles, authors of “Happy Together”, have sued the satellite radio provider in several states over royalties. The current laws for royalties cover songs after 1972, leaving a loop hole of… → Read More

SiriusXM Settles Over Automatic Renewal – Pays $3.8 million

December 5, 2014 (4:39 pm) Spencer

File this in the category of “headache gone”. SiriusXM has agreed to settle an action by several Attorney General’s to refund about $3.8 million dollars to consumers who’s service was automatically renewed but undesired. As part of the settlement, Sirius XM has also agreed to make several changes to its… → Read More

SiriusXM To Appeal Turtles Lawsuit As Turtles Set Sights On Pandora

October 3, 2014 (2:17 pm) Spencer

Fresh off of a legal victory in a lawsuit against SiriusXM, the Turtles are setting their sights on Pandora with the exact same claim. Meanwhile SiriusXM has vowed to appeal the lawsuit. SiriusXM’s CFO David Frear stated at an investor conference that the company would appeal, but the… → Read More

Court Decision Stings SiriusXM

September 24, 2014 (11:57 am) Spencer

A Federal judge has ruled in favor of the Turtles in a lawsuit about royalties that may mean that the Turtles and Sirius XM are not “Happy Together”. In addition, the ruling may pave the way for royalty payments to many other artists who’s songs predate 1972. The… → Read More

SiriiusXM Gets Initial Ruling On Royalty Suit

August 29, 2014 (8:34 am) Spencer

SiriusXM received a bit of positive news recently when a Judge hearing the lawsuit vs. SoundExchange ruled that the royalty matter relating to pre-1972 music should be determined by the CRB royalty board instead of in Federal Court. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon , in his ruling… → Read More

SiriusXM In Hot Water Over Mailing Envelopes

July 21, 2014 (2:13 pm) Spencer

SiriusXM has had its share of spats with consumer advocate groups regarding marketing practices over the years. There have also been a handful of lawsuits centered around people receiving unwanted communications from the satellite radio provider, and suits complaing that SiriusXM is obtaining personal information about car buyers…. → Read More

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