Ricardo Montaner has filed lawsuits against Universal Music Group (UMG) in a legal fight over the ownership of the master recordings from his early albums.
The Latin music star has launched cases in both the United States and Venezuela, claiming UMG has refused to return the rights to his first five studio albums, which were released between 1986 and 1992.
Among the recordings at the center of the dispute are the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart topping releases La Cima Del Cielo, Castillo Azul, and Piel Adentro.
According to Billboard, Montaner claims UMG has failed to pay him "any royalties whatsoever" since acquiring control of his master recordings in 2001. In 2022, the singer formally notified the company that he was exercising his termination rights under U.S. copyright law, a provision that allows creators to reclaim ownership of their works after a set period of time.
Believing the rights to his first five albums had officially reverted to him in 2024, Montaner signed a distribution agreement with ADA Latin in 2025. UMG, however, argues that his termination notice does not meet the legal requirements and therefore is not valid.
Montaner is now asking the courts to "declare that Montaner is the rightful owner of the albums and to enjoin defendants from interfering with plaintiffs' right to exploit the albums in any way they choose". In addition, he is seeking monetary damages from UMG.
UMG is also involved in a separate legal battle over termination rights with Salt-N-Pepa. Although a judge dismissed that case in January, the matter is still moving forward through the appeals process.
