\n<\/p>\n
“It should never have been brought in the first place,” Universal Music Group said about the suit accusing them of blocking the duo from obtaining the rights to their master recordings <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\tSalt-N-Pepa<\/a> have reached a dead end in their lawsuit against Universal Music Group<\/a>. Last year, the rap duo filed a suit alleging the company was holding their music \u201chostage\u201d<\/a> by not allowing them to reclaim control of their music\u2019s intellectual property 35 years after its release, a violation of the Copyright Act. UMG later filed a motion to have the case dismissed \u201cfor failure to state a claim.\u201d The motion was granted by District Judge Denise Cote in United States District Court \u2013 Southern District of New York. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhile we are gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuit, it should never have been brought in the first place,\u201d a Universal Music Group spokesperson shared in a statement to Rolling Stone<\/em>. \u201cPrior to this suit\u2014and without any legal obligation to do so\u2014we made multiple attempts to resolve the matter amicably, improve the artists\u2019 compensation, and ensure that Salt-N-Pepa\u2019s fans had access to their music.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tLegal representatives for Salt N-Pepa did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2018s request for comment.<\/p>\n \n\tWhen the suit was initially filed, legal reps for the group told Rolling Stone, <\/em>\u201cThis fight is about more than contracts\u2014it\u2019s about legacy, justice, and the future of artist ownership<\/a>.\u201d In November, Cheryl \u201cSalt\u201d James and Sandra \u201cPepa\u201d Denton were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame<\/a>. During their acceptance, they addressed the legal battle by acknowledging the removal of their music from streaming services.<\/p>\n