Cher and Mary Bono clash again over royalties for ‘I Got You Babe’ and more

Cher and Mary Bono are once again locked in a dispute over the royalties to hit songs including ‘I Got You Babe’ and ‘The Beat Goes On’.

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The dispute first arose several years ago when Sonny Bono’s copyright grants became eligible for termination in 2018. Upon hearing the news, his widow, Mary, intervened and sought to invoke the right.

She was then sued by Cher – who was married to Sonny between 1967 and 1974, recorded together, hosted a show together and had a child together – in 2021 for $1million (£792,000). At the time, Cher said she was left blindsided by Mary’s attempt to claim her half of Sonny’s composition royalties.

Last May, a judge ruled that Cher’s 1978 divorce agreement with Sonny was strong enough to overrule Mary’s attempt to claim his publishing profits.

Now, in a new court hearing yesterday (November 18), Mary’s lawyer threw the topic into discussion again, and argued that Cher’s right to collect half of composition royalties for the two aforementioned songs ended on July 1 2022.

This comes as that was the date that Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group acquired Cher’s back catalogue of music in a deal. The sale also included her 50 per cent stake in Sonny’s compositions, which was outlined in the divorce agreement (as per Rolling Stone).

At the court hearing, Mary’s lawyer suggested that the singer should be locked out of access to royalties made after June 30 2022. “She’s not entitled to a third party’s royalties. She’s not entitled to Iconic’s royalties. That’s an issue between Iconic and Mary Bono,” lawyer Daniel Schacht said (via RS). “She’s not entitled to the royalties that she doesn’t own.”

In retaliation, Cher’s lawyer argued that the stance held by Mary was illogical, considering the result of last May’s ruling. Speaking in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles, lawyer Peter Anderson said: “Cher sought [the royalties]. She’s entitled to them. And she’s obligated to pay them over to Iconic. Under [opposing] counsel’s view, what happens to them? Mary Bono gets them? That makes absolutely no sense.”

It isn’t yet clear what will happen if the judge rules in favour of Mary, and agrees that Cher has no rights to the profits made after June 2022.

At the hearing, Mary’s legal team said they were already working with Iconic Artists Group. “They are a business partner of Mary Bono and Sonny Bono’s children. They continue to work together to preserve Sonny’s legacy. What happens between Iconic and Mary Bono should be between them and Sonny’s four children,” he said.

A bench trial for the remaining issues in the dispute has been set for February 26 next year.

As reported by RS, back in May the judge said the account for Cher’s 50 per cent stake had already accrued $418,156.82 in royalties since June 30 2022.

Sonny Bono composed some of his biggest hits, including ‘U Got You Babe’ before his 1967 marriage with Cher. After their split, he would later go on to marry Mary, and he died in 1998 following a skiing accident.

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