The Artist Sued Over Royalties
The Artist formerly known as Prince is being sued by song-plugger and veteran publisher Dale Kawashima for alleged unpaid commissions.
Filed Tuesday (October 28) in the Superior Court for the County of Los
Angeles, the suit, which seeks unspecified punitive damages and
legal fees, stems from Kawashima’s song-placement efforts from
November 1981 to September 1987 on behalf of the Artist and his
publishing company, Controversy Music.
The suit, which claims that a written agreement securing
Kawashima’s services was prepared but remained unsigned, states
that Kawashima received commission checks on mechanical royalties
and synchronization fees (40 percent of the publisher’s share or 20
percent of the gross) until April 15, 1994 — payments which serve
as an acceptance of the agreement in writing, according to the
suit. The suit also states that Kawashima has not received any of
the commissions due him for the past seven statement periods.