Richard Pryor sues Universal Music

Post by **Visitor** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:43 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051014/people_nm/pryor_dc - Richard Pryor sues Universal Music'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Comedian Richard Pryor has sued Universal Music Group for allegedly marketing and selling 11 of his recordings without a license.

Pryor's suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages for unfair competition, conversion, unjust enrichment and other claims.

Representatives at Universal Music, the world's largest record company, said they had not seen the suit and could not comment.

According to the complaint, it took years for Pryor to realize that Universal Music was claiming to have licensed such titles as "Are You Serious?," "Wizard of Comedy," "Black Ben and the Blacksmith," "Richard Pryor," "I Ain't Lied Yet" and "Everything's Big."

Pryor now accuses the company of "reaping substantial profits from (the recordings) without ever having acquired any rights in such recordings."

YouTube · Post by **bingolong** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 1:12 pm

Visitor,
I think those last two titles are Redd Foxx's but these must be from that Laff/Loose Cannon catalog!!All I know is "get that money RICH!!!!!"

Post by **JTF** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 1:34 pm

bingolong,

Universal should know better.

YouTube · Post by **bingolong** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 1:48 pm

JTF,
For real!!!

Post by **tamra** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:07 pm

all I can say is don't assume this company would have enough integrity to do the right thing in most cases, including while expecting others to do the right thing. if so there wouldn't be so many other open lawsuits out there. in fact the higher up some go w/in this industry, as many probably already know, the more grimy it gets. keep rubber shoes in your pocket because the floors will be grimy.

you'd think w/the amount of $$ at the top everyone would be happy campers and cordial. ooooh nooooo.... that would be too easy.

but you didn't hear that from me....

Post by **Jennifer** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:53 pm

JTF,
we have given them ample opportunity...but they are the worst...they are notorious for thumping their noses...we have written to Jayzee and to no avail...well, three lawsuits this month...settled the first two in our favor ...stay tuned...!

YouTube · Post by **bingolong** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 4:11 pm

Jennifer,
[Font size=7 face=c color=teal]GET' EM !!!!!!![/font]

Post by **smjmcomic** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 8:32 am

Jennifer, Richard,

GO GET YOUR ENDS!!!!!!!!!

Post by **Jennifer** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 1:44 pm

bingolong,

YouTube · Post by **bingolong** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 10:51 am

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,1 ... tml?fdnews - The site got mentioned in this article:'

Pryor Pissed over CD Release

by Josh Grossberg
Oct 18, 2005, 7:15 AM PT

The moral of this lawsuit is: Don't mess with Richard Pryor.

The ailing 64-year-old funnyman is bustin' loose with lawsuit alleging Universal Music Group cheated him out of substantial royalties by selling 11 recordings, containing many of his most brilliant bits, without permission.

Pryor's suit, filed last Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims UMG failed to obtain the proper licenses for the comedy albums Are You Serious?, Wizard of Comedy, I Ain't Lied Yet, Black Ben and the Blacksmith, Richard Pryor and Everything's Big.

Per court documents obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, the comedian accuses the music giant of "reaping substantial profits from [the titles] without ever having acquired any rights in such recordings."

As a result, Pryor is seeking a cut of the profits as well as unspecified damages for unfair competition, conversion, unjust enrichment and other claims.

Reps for UMG declined to comment on the suit.

The albums are a testament to Pryor's comic genius and feature his typically raunchy routines. Considered one of the greatest stand-ups ever, Pryor influenced everyone from Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams to Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle before multiple sclerosis confined him to a wheelchair and robbed him of his voice.

As his health has declined, Pryor has become more protective of his legacy.

In July, he filed suit against director Penelope Spheeris (Wayne's World) and his own daughter, Rain Pryor, seeking to recover the first film he ever starred in, which he claims they have.

The 1968 comedy Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales, about a white man on trial for having raped a black woman, was never released to theaters. Pryor says he put up the money for the project and hired Spheeris, then a film student, to help shoot and edit the envelope-pushing movie. But footage apparently went missing from his house 20 years ago--around the time he was recovering from a free-basing incident gone awry and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Although he no longer appears much in public, Pryor did turn out to receive the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998, and most recently was featured in the 2004 Comedy Central special, I Ain't Dead Yet, M*therf@ck%r!, where he was lauded by the likes of Rock, Williams and Chappelle, as well as Margaret Cho, Jamie Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Harvey and Denis Leary. He also maintains a Website, RichardPryor.com, which keeps tabs on his animal-rescue work and features occasional message to fans.