The US Supreme Court rejected music labels' challenge to a ruling that allows creators to reclaim copyrights worldwide, upholding a decision in favor of songwriter Cyril Vetter over “Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love).” Four justices did not participate, and the remaining justices said the case could not be resolved in the coming term.
The Supreme Court rejected a challenge by publishing arms of BMG, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner to a ruling that US copyright termination law applies to foreign copyrights as well as US copyrights. The justices upheld the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in Vetter's favor because the case could not be resolved in the coming term; four of the court's nine justices did not participate and gave no reason for their recusals.
Vetter co-wrote “Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)” with Donald Smith in 1962, and they transferred the copyrights to Windsong Music Publishers in 1963. Vetter sent Windsong a termination notice in 2019, effective in 2022, and sued Resnik Music Group in 2023, alleging it continued to claim rights outside the United States. A federal judge ruled in 2025 that Vetter was the sole owner of all rights to the copyright worldwide, and the 5th Circuit affirmed in January.
The labels acquired Resnik's copyright interest after the 5th Circuit decision. They argued the ruling unsettled 50 years of industry practice and threatened agreements worth billions of dollars; Vetter's lawyers said the labels' concerns were overblown.
