Bono’s lawyer argues that the singer has no claim to the royalties of the hit tracks Cher and Mary Bono are once again locked in a dispute over the royalties to hit songs including ‘I Got You Babe’ and ‘The Beat Goes On’. READ MORE: Cher – ‘Dancing Queen’ review The dispute first arose several years ago when Sonny Bono’s copyright grants became eligible for termination in 2018. Upon hearing the news, his widow, Mary, intervened and sought to invoke the right.
She was then sued by Cher – who was married to Sonny between 1967 and 1974, recorded together, hosted a show together and had a child together – in 2021 for $1million (£792,000). At the time, Cher said she was left blindsided by Mary’s attempt to claim her half of Sonny’s composition royalties. Last May, a judge ruled that Cher’s 1978 divorce agreement with Sonny was strong enough to overrule Mary’s attempt to claim his publishing profits .
Now, in a new court hearing yesterday (November 18), Mary’s lawyer threw the topic into discussion again, and argued that Cher’s right to collect half of composition royalties for the two aforementioned songs ended on July 1 2022. Sonny and Cher in 1970. CREDIT: Martin Mills/Getty Images This comes as that was the date that Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group acquired Cher’s back catalogue of music in a deal .
The sale also included her 50 per cent stake in Sonny’s compositions, which was outlined in the divorce agreement (as per Rolling Stone .
