Sony Music Sues Producers of Whitney Houston Biopic Over Unpaid License Fees

Sony Music Entertainment has taken legal action against the creators of the 2022 biographical film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, alleging non-payment for the inclusion of over 20 Whitney Houston tracks in the movie.

In a lawsuit filed in a New York federal court, Sony accuses Anthem Films, Black Label Media, and other parties involved in the production of the film of breaching contractual agreements for sync licenses to feature Houston’s iconic songs in the movie – including hits like “I Will Always Love You.” Sony claims they have yet to receive any payment more than a year after the film’s release.

The lawsuit states that Anthem, among others, signed a sync license agreement just days before the film’s release in December 2022 to use Sony’s sound recordings of Whitney Houston’s songs, such as “Greatest Love of All” and “I’m Every Woman.”

Despite the importance of Houston’s music in a musical biopic, Sony alleges that the production company failed to compensate for the licenses, constituting a willful copyright infringement.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” debuted in December 2022 amid the trend of successful musical biopics but received lackluster reviews and only grossed $59.8 million.

Later in August, Sony reports that no payment had been received from Anthem Films. When questioned, Anthem claimed they were awaiting funds from a state tax credit owed by Massachusetts, which Sony says was never fulfilled.

The lawsuit names defendants including Anthem Films, NYBO Productions LLC, Black Label Media, and WH Movie LLC – all of whom are alleged to have been involved in the production and distribution of the biopic.

Sony emphasizes that it made clear willingness to work with Anthem regarding the tax credit delay but was met with rejection when formalizing any agreements in writing. The suit accuses Anthem and NYBO of direct copyright infringement while Black Label and WH Movie are implicated in vicarious copyright infringement.

As of now, representatives for the defendants have not commented on the lawsuit, and Sony Music has not responded to media requests for further statements.