{"id":4656,"date":"2025-03-13T07:21:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T07:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/george-clinton-files-lawsuit-against-ex-agent-to-win-back-music-rights\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T07:21:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T07:21:25","slug":"george-clinton-files-lawsuit-against-ex-agent-to-win-back-music-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/george-clinton-files-lawsuit-against-ex-agent-to-win-back-music-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"George Clinton Files Lawsuit Against Ex-Agent to Win Back Music Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tGeorge Clinton<\/a> is suing his one-time business partner, Armen Boladian<\/strong>, over allegations that he fraudulently obtained the rights to the vast majority of the funk pioneer\u2019s music catalog.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a lawsuit filed Tuesday (March 11) in Florida federal court, attorneys for Clinton accused Boladian and his Bridgeport Music of \u201cabusive, deceptive, and fraudulent practices\u201d that were aimed at stealing from Clinton and \u201ccapitalizing on his success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m fighting for my life\u2019s work and to ensure future generations of artists are treated fairly,\u201d Clinton said in a statement released by his lawyers. \u201cWhen you\u2019re young and just starting out in the music industry, it\u2019s easy for others to take advantage of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe sweeping complaint accuses Boladian of carrying out a \u201cdecades long scheme to defraud Clinton,\u201d including improperly using the star\u2019s signature to grant himself rights to Clinton\u2019s music and fabricating key legal agreements. The conduct has left Boladian and Bridgeport in control of 90 percent of Clinton\u2019s catalog, the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor decades, George Clinton has shaped the sound of music and inspired generations of artists, yet he has been systematically deprived of the rights and royalties he rightfully deserves,\u201d said Ben Crump<\/strong>, an attorney who is representing Clinton in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement to Billboard<\/em>, Boladian\u2019s attorney Richard Busch<\/strong> sharply denied the allegations: \u201cThis is just the latest in a series of lawsuits that Mr. Clinton has filed against Armen Boladian and his companies over the last 30 years raising the same exact issues. He has lost each and every time, including in the very courthouse in which he has filed this latest lawsuit. We will obviously therefore be moving to dismiss this lawsuit and will be seeking sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNotably, in addition to seeking damages, the lawsuit is seeking an injunction to stop Boladian from shopping Clinton\u2019s catalog to potential buyers \u2014 something the star\u2019s lawyers suggest he\u2019s actively doing: \u201cPlaintiff has reason to believe that Boladian is soliciting the sale of assets including the rights and ownership interests in Plaintiff catalog.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBridgeport Music is well-known in the world of music law. The company has filed huge numbers of copyright infringement lawsuits against major artists who allegedly sampled songs by Clinton and others, including one case against Jay-Z and another case over an N.W.A. song that resulted in an influential decision on sampling.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Tuesday\u2019s lawsuit, Clinton\u2019s attorneys cited that litigation campaign in his allegations against Boladian, calling his foe a \u201ccopyright troll\u201d who uses lawsuits to exploit songs \u201che looted the rights to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cInterestingly, Clinton, the rightful owner of said catalog, has never been included as a plaintiff in these lawsuits nor has he received any portion of the millions secured by Boladian,\u201d Clinton\u2019s attorneys wrote.<\/p>\n

\n\tRead the entire lawsuit here:<\/strong><\/p>\n