Bob Dylan wins royalties for Desire in lawsuit against Jacques Levy

In a lawsuit against late songwriter Jacques Levy, Bob Dylan has won the royalties for his 1976 album Desire.

Levy co-wrote 10 songs from Desire, including 'Hurricane,' 'Isis,' and 'Oh Sister.' He died in 2004, and his widow, Claudia Levy, filed a lawsuit against Dylan and Universal Music Group in January. She sued for $7.25 million, or approximately €5.97 million, claiming that Dylan and his team refused to pay Levy's estate 35% of the income that was owed.

Prior to the lawsuit, Dylan had made the biggest deal in songwriting history to date, selling his entire catalogue's publishing rights for a reported $300 million.

On Friday, July 30, Judge Barry Ostrager of the Supreme Court of New York ruled in favor of Dylan and UMG. In the 18-page decision, he found that the agreement between Dylan and Levy was clear.

"For the reasons explained here, the Court determines that the plain meaning of the 1975 Agreement is that the Dylan Defendants owned all copyrights to the Compositions, as well as the absolute right to sell the Compositions and all associated rights, subject only to plaintiffs' right to receive the compensation specified in the 1975 Agreement, which does not include any portion of the proceeds from Dylan's sale of his own rights to the Universal Defendants," wrote Judge Ostrager.

In addition, he emphasized how Levy was described as an "employee-for-hire" and "employee" in the 1975 agreement.

According to Variety, Dylan's lawyer Orin Snyder said: "We're pleased with today's decision. As we said when the case was filed, this lawsuit was a sad attempt to profit off the recent catalog sale. We're glad it's over now."

Levy's estate lawyers asked for $1.75 million from the catalog sale and $2 million in punitive damages.

Dylan has announced the next instalment of his Bootleg Series compilation, which will be released on September 17, 2021.

He has also announced a collaboration between his whiskey, Heaven's Door Whiskey, and Redbreast Irish Whiskey. Enter for a chance to win a bottle of the limited edition 10-Year Aged Bourbon here.

The Masque Of Desire: A Bob Dylan Story by Pat Carty