In December 2020, Bob Dylan sold the music publishing rights of his entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing—a deal reportedly valued at more than $300 million. A new lawsuit was filed today by the wife and publishing company of Dylan collaborator Jacques Levy, who co-wrote songs from the 1976 album Desire (including “Hurricane” and “Isis”). The lawsuit seeks $7.25 million, The New York Post reports and documents viewed by Pitchfork confirm.
The lawsuit claims that Dylan’s team owes Levy’s family 35% of income earned from the songs Levy co-wrote. It further notes that Dylan’s team has “refused to remit to [Levy’s family] their rightful share of the revenue and/or income earned from the catalog Sale with respect to the compositions.”
“This lawsuit is a sad attempt to unfairly profit off of the recent catalog sale,” Dylan’s lawyer, Orin Snyder, said in a statement to the Post. “The plaintiffs have been paid everything they are owed. We are confident that we will prevail. And when we do, we will hold plaintiffs and their counsel responsible for bringing this meritless case.”
Pitchfork has reached out to Universal Music Group, which is listed alongside Dylan as a defendant in the lawsuit.