Salt-N-Pepa to appeal UMG copyright lawsuit dismissal

Salt-N-Pepa have announced they are appealing a court decision to dismiss their lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).

The lawsuit alleged that UMG had held a copyright grant from the duo since the ’80s. According to Music Business Worldwide, the hip-hop group, aka Cheryl ‘Salt’ James and Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton, filed the suit in May 2025 in a bid to regain their copyrights and physical master recordings.

James and Denton’s complaint said they are “eager to retake full ownership of their art and legacy”. The original grant that stopped them from regaining copyright ownership lapsed in 2022.

It also alleged that UMG had held onto the copyright grant since 1986, and “refused to honour” the duo’s notices of termination. In response, UMG filed a motion to have the case dismissed on the grounds that Salt-N-Pepa never owned the recordings and could therefore not “reclaim them”.

New York District Judge, Denise Cote, agreed with UMG’s argument, referencing a 1986 agreement between Salt-N-Pepa and Noise In The Attic Productions (NITA), which said the company was the “sole and exclusive owner” of all music rights. The masters were then transferred from NITA to Next Plateau Records, acquired by London Records, and ultimately absorbed by UMG.

“Even viewed in the light most favorable to Plaintiffs,” Cote wrote, “the 1986 agreements do not indicate that Plaintiffs ever owned the copyrights to the sound recordings or that they granted a transfer of those rights to anyone else.”

Responding to Judge Cote’s decision, James and Denton wrote in a statement shared by music journalist Loren Lorosa: “We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision and fully intend to pursue our rights on appeal. We, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, also known as the Hip Hop icons Salt-N-Pepa, are the creative and driving force behind all our sound recordings and have performed these songs over the past 40 years. We remain committed to vindicating and reclaiming our rights as creators under the Copyright Act.”

For their part, UMG have since expressed willingness to move forward with its relationship. “Even with the court’s complete rejection of their claims, we remain open and willing to find a resolution to the matter and turn the page so we can focus our efforts on working together to amplify Salt-N-Pepa’s legacy for generations to come.”

Taking to social media, James and Denton addressed fans: “For the last few years, we’ve been fighting to regain ownership of the music we created. Yesterday, we received a setback in the process, but we believe that justice will prevail in the end.”

“We’re still here. We’re still Salt-N-Pepa. And we’re not done fighting. Not just for us, but for every artist who deserves to own what they create.”

In December, Salt-N-Pepa’s Spinderella became the first female DJ inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, when the trio were inducted at the annual ceremony at the Los Angeles Peacock Theater. OutKast, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, The White Stripes, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, and Joe Cocker were also inducted into the Hall of Fame.