George Clinton Sues Former Agent and Record Labels for $100 Million in Copyright Battle

George Clinton Sues Former Agent and Record Labels for $100 Million in Copyright Battle
Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

Legendary musician George Clinton has filed a $100 million lawsuit against his former agent, Armen Boladian, and several record labels, accusing them of fraudulently seizing control of his music catalog and withholding millions in royalties. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, targets Bridgeport Music, Inc., Westbound Records, Nine Records, Southfield Music, and Eastbound Records, all of which are owned and operated by Boladian.

Decades-Long Scheme to Defraud Clinton

According to the 51-page complaint, Boladian and his companies engaged in a multi-decade scheme to steal Clinton’s rights to his own songs, dating back to the late 1960s. The lawsuit alleges that Boladian used fraudulent contracts, unauthorized agreements, and even fake songwriter names to dilute Clinton’s share of royalties.

Clinton, widely recognized as the Godfather of Funk, claims that Boladian’s companies acquired copyrights to approximately 90% of his catalog through deceitful tactics. The complaint details how Boladian:

  • Tricked Clinton into signing blank or misleading contracts, then used them to claim ownership of his music.
  • Filed fraudulent copyright registrations that included non-existent songwriters to reduce Clinton’s royalties.
  • Collected royalties without properly compensating Clinton, despite industry standards requiring royalty accounting and payments twice a year.
  • Signed agreements on Clinton’s behalf without his knowledge or consent, keeping millions of dollars in licensing fees.
  • Sued other artists for sampling Clinton’s music, despite Clinton never authorizing the claims or receiving any portion of the settlements.

Boladian’s “Copyright Troll” Tactics

The lawsuit paints Boladian as a "copyright troll", alleging that he built his businesses around acquiring copyrights, hoarding them, and filing lawsuits against artists who sampled Clinton’s music. Notably, Boladian sued nearly 800 artists in Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. 11C Music (2001) for unauthorized sampling—without Clinton’s involvement or financial benefit​.

Clinton’s complaint claims Boladian also used fake identities like "L. Crane" and "B. Blaine" to register additional ownership shares in Clinton’s songs.

Clinton Seeks to Reclaim His Music Rights

Under the Copyright Act of 1976, Clinton has attempted to terminate the fraudulent transfers of his copyrights using legal provisions that allow artists to reclaim ownership after a set number of years. In 2023, he served termination notices to Boladian and his companies, but they refused to comply—except for the song "Atomic Dog," for which they relinquished rights.

Now, Clinton is asking the court to:

  1. Declare his copyright termination notices valid, forcing the return of his catalog.
  2. Award at least $100 million in damages for lost royalties.
  3. Issue an injunction against further exploitation of his music.

Clinton’s lawsuit has drawn attention from music industry veterans and legal experts, many of whom argue that Black artists from past generations were systematically defrauded by record labels and agents.

If successful, this case could set a precedent for other artists seeking to reclaim their rights under copyright termination laws.

Boladian and Bridgeport Music have not yet issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit. The case is pending in federal court.