Jimi Hendrix Bandmates Will Not Experience Copyright Shares, British High Court Rules

The estates of two former Jimi Hendrix bandmates, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, filed a lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment UK (SMEUK), claiming they were entitled to copyright and performers’ rights related to around 40 studio recordings of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s performances from the 1960s. The estates sought a declaration of ownership shares for the copyrights and performance rights of these recordings, as well as an inquiry into potential owed rights if they had been properly recognized from the start. SMEUK argued that the producers, not the musicians, held the original recording copyright, citing a clear and worldwide agreement in the recording agreement. Mr Justice Johnson dismissed the estates’ claims in a 140-page ruling, stating that the producers and band members had agreed that the producers would retain copyright globally without any temporal or territorial limitations. The estates of Redding and Mitchell, who died in the 2000s, formed the band in 1966 and played on the three studio albums of the Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland, considered foundational works of psychedelic rock. The case concluded after over four years, with SMEUK confirming no infringement of rights and full entitlement to exploit their rights in the Hendrix catalog.