Sony Music is suing former Ultra Records founder Patrick Moxey over trademark rights to the word 'Ultra' following their acquisition of the label.

Photo Credit: International Music Summit / CC by 3.0

Sony Music initially acquired 50% of Ultra Records LLC from Moxey in 2012, allowing him to continue running the company. The agreement specified that Ultra International Music Publishing could only use the word 'Ultra' under license from Ultra Records. This license was terminated on March 29, 2022, following Sony Music's complete buyout of Ultra Records.

Moxey departed Ultra Records in January 2022, shortly after Sony's acquisition. He maintains full ownership of Ultra International Music Publishing, but according to the lawsuit, there was never a formal written license agreement between the companies regarding the Ultra trademark.

The lawsuit states that Ultra Records previously relied on Moxey's control over Ultra International Music Publishing to maintain service quality under the Ultra mark. However, following Moxey's departure, Ultra Records decided to terminate the 2012 license agreement, which had no specified end date and was terminable at will under New York law.

Moxey's legal team has disputed the existence of the license agreement and denies that their continued use of 'Ultra' violates Ultra Records' trademark rights. They maintain their intention to continue using the term in their music publishing business.

Earlier this year, Moxey entered into a global publishing agreement with Warner Chappell Music.

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