Bob Marley's family loses lawsuit over rights to records! Check it out on Surforeggae!

Bob Marley's family lost a lawsuit seeking copyright over several of the reggae singer's most famous recordings. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote of Manhattan ruled that UMG Recordings, of Universal Music Group, is the rightful owner of the copyrights to five albums recorded by Marley for Island Records between 1973 and 1977. The albums "Catch a Fire", "Burnin", "Natty Dread", "Rastaman Vibrations" and "Exodus" were recorded with Bob Marley's band, The Wailers. They include some of Marley's most famous songs, among them "Get Up, Stand Up", "I Shot the Sheriff", "No Woman, No Cry" and "One Love". Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981, at the age of 36. The ruling handed down by the judge on Friday night is a defeat for Marley's widow, Rita, and their nine children, who sought to recover millions of dollars in damages for UMG's attempt to "exploit" what they described as "Bob Marley's essential recordings." The family's attorneys, L. Peter Parcher and Peter Shukat, did not respond to phone calls requesting comment. UMG spokesman Peter LoFrumento said the company is satisfied with the judge's decision. Marley's family accused UMG of intentionally failing to pay royalties to their company, Fifty-Six Hope Road Music Ltd, and of ignoring a 1995 agreement that granted them rights under the original recording contracts. They also accused UMG of failing to consult them on important licensing decisions, such as the use of Marley's songs as ringtones for AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile cell phones. But the judge concluded that Marley's recordings were "works made for hire" under the terms of U.S. copyright law, which gives UMG the right to be designated owner of the recordings, both under the initial 28-year copyrights and renewals. According to her, Island had the contractual right to accept or reject what Bob Marley produced. She also rejected the Marley family's request to confirm their rights over digital downloads, citing ambiguities in the 1992 royalty agreement. She instructed both parties to begin court-supervised negotiations toward a settlement and scheduled a meeting between the two parties for October 29.