Indie label Cintas Acuario and its publishing arms, Sonora Music Publishing and Cintas Acuario publishing, have filed a copyright infringement suit against Sony BMG Entertainment’s U.S. Latin label.
The suit, filed May 3 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that Sony BMG is manufacturing, distributing and selling masters whose rights belong to Cinta Acuario without authorization.
Acuario’s catalog includes dozens of recordings by major regional Mexican acts such as Los Razos, Voces del Rancho, Jenni Rivera and Lupillo Rivera. At one point Acuario had a licensing deal in place with Sony, but, according to the suit, in or about June of 2006, Sony was asked to cease and desist all “marketing, producing, promoting, manufacturing, distributing and selling of any and all” of Acuario’s sound recordings.
According to Cintas Acuario attorney Anthony Lopez, the current complaint was filed because Sony BMG has continued to put out the product in question in the market.
Lopez says Sony BMG is exploiting catalog to which Acuario has the rights “without us receiving any benefit.” In addition, he says, “we have been unable to go out and get a [new] deal on their catalog because there is still product in the market.”
Cintas Acuario is the indie label launched by producer and singer Pedro Rivera, father to regional Mexican stars Lupillo and Jenni Rivera, who first recorded under Acuario.
Sony BMG Latin declined to comment.
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