George Clinton has filed a $100 million lawsuit against his former business partner Armen Boladian and Bridgeport Music, alleging widespread copyright theft of approximately 90% of his music catalog.

Photo Credit: George Clinton by Raj Gupta / CC by 2.0

The lawsuit, filed in Florida District Court, claims Boladian fraudulently obtained copyrights through deceptive practices between 1982 and 1985, including fabricating agreements and adding fake names to copyright registrations to dilute royalty shares.

Clinton aims to reclaim ownership of his catalog to provide generational wealth for his family. "These songs we're talking about is my history," Clinton stated at a press conference outside the Apollo Theatre. "I have to fight for them... to make sure that my family gets what's due to them."

The lawsuit alleges that Boladian:

• Withheld millions in royalties
• Created multiple fraudulent agreements
• Filed hundreds of sampling lawsuits in 2001 without including Clinton
• Kept millions in sampling lawsuit settlements without sharing with Clinton

Boladian's attorney, Richard Busch, dismissed the lawsuit as repetitive, stating Clinton has lost similar cases over the past 30 years. However, Clinton previously won a defamation case against Boladian in 2021 regarding claims made in Clinton's 2014 autobiography about document fabrication and contract alterations.

A 2001 Florida court ruling determined that music written from 1976 to 1983 belongs to Bridgeport Music, but Clinton continues to fight for his rights, encouraging fellow artists to "investigate, interrogate, litigate, unseal, reveal" to protect their musical legacy and ensure generational wealth through intellectual property.

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