Spinal Tap star Harry Shearer is suing Universal parent Vivendi

Spinal Tap star Harry Shearer is suing Universal parent Vivendi

According to "Music Business Worldiwde", in a lawsuit filed at the Central District Court of California on October 17, Spinal Tap star Harry Shearer accuses Vivendi of “fraudulent accounting for revenues from music copyrights” – through Universal – as well as mismanaging film and merchandising rights through UMG sister companies such as StudioCanal.

Shearer is co-creator of the film and co-writer of the soundtrack; he also starred as the Spinal Tap band’s bassist, Derek Smalls. Now He claims that between 1989 and 2006, total income from soundtrack music sales for the four creators of the film was reported by Vivendi as just a meager $98.

In addition, he claims that Vivendi "asserts that the four creators share of total worldwide merchandising income between 1984 and 2006 was $81".

The complaint reveals:

Shearer is concurrently filing notices of copyright termination for publishing and recording rights in Spinal Tap songs he co-wrote and co-recorded, as well as in the film itself.

The action seeks US$125,000,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.