Halo composer sues Microsoft for not being paid royalties

The original composers behind Halo’s iconic music are suing Microsoft, alleging it didn’t pay royalties 20 years ago. Marty O’Donnell told Eurogamer that he and his colleague Mike Salvatori filed the lawsuit in 2020. Before that, they had been negotiating claims with Microsoft for a decade without progress.

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The composers said they licensed the Halo music to original Halo developer Bungie, which was acquired by Microsoft before the Halo franchise was released in 2001.

At the time of the acquisition, Donnell had just become a full-time Bungie employee as Bungie’s audio director, and Salvatori remained independent, working for the Donnell Salvatori company, of which Donnell was a member.

Microsoft explained that the “Halo” music was created during employment, not licensed music, so Microsoft is eligible to be the author of this work. But Donnell defended: “It was never a work-for-hire creation, it’s always been a licensing agreement.”

Donnell said the lawsuit wasn’t about them wanting to get the Halo music rights, but because they didn’t get royalties over the years.

The lawsuit accuses Microsoft of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty to develop royalty income in the joint venture, breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing, failure to provide accounting partnership, unjust enrichment, and tortious interference.

The case could go to court if the companies fail to reach a settlement in mediation scheduled for next week.

The report also mentions that the composer’s legal team has been instructed to explore whether a preliminary injunction can be issued to prevent the broadcast of Paramount’s live-action Halo series, which will premiere on March 24.

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