A U.S. appeals court has revived a long-running royalty dispute involving George Clinton and the estate of late keyboardist Bernie Worrell, sending the case back to a Michigan federal court.
At the center of it is a decades-old agreement tied to Parliament-Funkadelic’s music catalog. Worrell, who played a major role in shaping the group’s sound from 1969–1981, had previously pursued legal action in the 1980s over alleged unpaid royalties. After his passing in 2016, his estate revived the dispute in 2019 and again in 2022.
The appeals court’s decision essentially reopens the question of when the legal clock actually started ticking, noting that it may have begun later than previously assumed—especially in light of testimony given in 2019.
It’s another reminder that music history isn’t just about the sound—it’s also about contracts, credit, and how rights are handled over time.
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