Gigi D'Alessio loses lawsuit over rights to first albums: request against Zeus Record rejected

Gigi D'Alessio's legal battle over the rights to his early albums has ended, at least in the first instance, in a defeat. The specialized corporate division of the Naples Civil Court has rejected the singer-songwriter's request to terminate the contracts signed in the early 1990s with the Zeus Record label, upholding the validity of the agreements.

The dispute concerned the management of the music catalog created at the beginning of the artist's career and the relationship between the author, the music publisher and the owner of the rights to the works.

The singer-songwriter's reasons

According to the argument put forward by D'Alessio's defense, the publisher has failed to valorize the music catalog to which it holds part of the rights over the years. Hence the request for a different interpretation of the contractual relationship, also in light of the profound transformations that have affected the music market and the role publishers have assumed today in the promotion and exploitation of musical works.

The goal was to obtain a reevaluation of the agreements stipulated at the beginning of the Neapolitan singer's artistic career.

The judge's decision

However, the Court deemed the nature of the assignment of rights provided for in the original contracts to prevail, rejecting the request made by the singer-songwriter.

This decision confirms the framework of the agreements signed over thirty years ago and, at least for now, leaves the ownership of the disputed rights unchanged.

The defense: "We will appeal."

The legal battle, however, isn't over. D'Alessio's lawyer, Eugenio D'Andrea, has announced that he will appeal the sentence before the Court of Appeal.

"We knew the legal action was somewhat pioneering; it would be a trailblazing case. For D'Alessio, it's a matter of justice and fairness, but the ruling has somewhat merged the activities of the record company and the music publisher. The principle on which we based our request has not been grasped," the lawyer told LaPresse.

With the appeal, the matter remains open and could contribute to redefining, in the future, the delicate balance between artists, music publishers, and record companies in the management of historical catalogs.