Sony Music Entertainment has dismissed its copyright lawsuit against the production companies behind "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (2022), nine months after filing the original complaint.

The lawsuit centered on alleged unpaid synchronization fees for 24 Whitney Houston songs used in the biopic. The production companies had entered into sync agreements for these tracks but reportedly failed to make the required payments by the 2023 deadline.

Key details about the case:

• The film earned $59.4 million at the box office on a $45 million budget
• The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice
• Settlement terms were not disclosed
• The songs in question were later licensed to Duolingo in 2023

This resolution comes amid other significant music industry legal battles, including:

• Universal Music Group's $500 million lawsuit against Believe and TuneCore over alleged piracy
• A complex sampling dispute involving Plies, Soulja Boy, Megan Thee Stallion, and GloRilla
• Ed Sheeran's successful defense in the "Thinking Out Loud" copyright case

The dismissal marks the end of this high-profile dispute between Sony Music and the biopic's producers, though specific details about how the parties reached an agreement remain undisclosed.

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