Publishers fight over Cuban music

Peer International Corporation claims that its copyright to songs dating back to the 1930s has been unlawfully taken over by the Cuban Government. But a Cuban company, Editora Musical de Cuba (EMC), which Peer says is run by the government, says it is trying to salvage royalties from songs it claims have never made a penny for their impoverished writers. It says all the original contracts are void because they were ‘unconscionable bargains’ not recognised in law, reports The Guardian. Peer says the artists themselves have died, but their heirs have wished to minimise evidence of contracts. This is because they fear the Cuban regime, which wishes itself to ensure that any US dollars to which such heirs have an entitlement are secured by EMC as part of the Cuban state. Full report in The Guardian