Songwriters can reclaim their worldwide rights — the Supreme Court just let that ruling stand

For decades, the music business assumed that when a songwriter used US law to terminate an old rights deal and take their songs back, they recovered only the American rights — publishers kept the rest of the world. On 19 October, the US Supreme Court declined to disturb a Fifth Circuit ruling in Vetter v. Resnik that says termination reaches worldwide. Cyril Vetter co-wrote the 1960s hit 'Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)' and signed his copyrights away in 1963; the ruling means creators in his position can reclaim their work across the globe, not just at home. Four justices recused themselves, leaving the lower court's decision intact. For songwriters and their heirs — often elderly, often long separated from songs they wrote young — it's a quiet, consequential restoration: the work comes back to the person who made it.

SDG 16 · Peace, justice and strong institutions — Mechanism: legal ruling