Village People's policeman lays down the law on his right to royalties

Victor Willis wins landmark legal case to reclaim part-ownership of dozens of the group's songs

Sean Michaels
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 9 May 2012 09.31 EDT



Victor Willis, the original policeman in the Village People, has won a landmark copyright case, reclaiming partial ownership of dozens of the band's songs. A California judge has allowed him to terminate a decades-old publishing deal, which gives him the right to expanded royalties for hits such as YMCA and Macho Man.

"To say this decision will send shock waves through the record industry … is an understatement," Willis's publicist, Linda Smythe, told the Hollywood Reporter. This case marks a major precedent for the music industry, because it will allow songwriters to claim back the rights to their old songs.

It all goes back to the 1978 amendments to the US Copyright Act. According to that law, songwriters have the right to unilaterally terminate their copyright deals with labels and publishers, 35 years after the contracts are inked, provided they give due notice to labels and publishers. It is under that law, which takes effect next year, that Willis is relcaiming his rights to the Village People's hits.

Many artists who were making music in the late 70s, including Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and the Eagles, have begun filing notices of termination, telling their publishers and labels that they want out. And the famously litigious Willis was no different, terminating his agreement with Scorpio Music and Can't Stop Productions, which administer the Village People's publishing rights.

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