From Billboard · Rachel Scharf · · 1m 20s
Shabba Ranks Sues to Take His Catalog Back
The dancehall star says a 1989 work-for-hire clause cannot block him from reclaiming hits like "Mr. Loverman."
In brief
The dancehall star says a 1989 work-for-hire clause cannot block him from reclaiming hits like "Mr. Loverman." Copyright termination lets authors reclaim rights decades later, and publishers keep trying to block it with work-for-hire language that may not hold up. Originally reported by Billboard.
A dancehall star goes to court
Shabba Ranks, born Rexton Gordon, sued the publishing arm of reggae label Greensleeves Records on Friday, Sept. 11, to reclaim his own compositions.
The hits on the line
The suit targets Hot 100 hits "Slow and Sexy", "Housecall", "Mr. Loverman" and "Let's Get It On", plus the 1990 track "Dem Bow".
Dem Bow carries extra weight
"Dem Bow" gave reggaeton its dembow rhythm, and that rhythm sits at the center of a long-running copyright fight tangling up the whole genre.
The clawback rule
U.S. copyright law lets authors terminate old deals and take their work back decades after signing it away. Publishers usually fight, and the fight becomes a lawsuit.
Greensleeves said no
Shabba gave notice in 2023. The publisher refused, pointing to his 1989 deal calling the songs "works made for hire", a category the termination statute excludes.
Never an employee
His lawyers argue the label cannot convert a songwriter into a work-for-hire author just by writing it into a contract, and they want a judge to say the termination stands.
“Gordon was never at any time an employee of [Greensleeves]”
At a glance
Copyright termination lets authors reclaim rights decades later, and publishers keep trying to block it with work-for-hire language that may not hold up.
