George Clinton is taking Universal Music Group to court, accusing the label of freezing more than $1.1 million in royalties across his catalog for more than three years.
According to court documents obtained by Music Business Worldwide, the Parliament-Funkadelic architect filed the lawsuit Friday, May 15, in federal court in Detroit, alleging UMG withheld 100% of royalties from at least 12 Clinton-related accounts. The complaint claims the freeze includes music tied to Parliament, Clinton’s Clijo Productions, and even his production work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
At the center of the dispute is a separate copyright fight involving the estate of late P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell. Worrell’s estate had argued that he was entitled to co-ownership of certain Parliament-Funkadelic recordings, but a federal judge ruled in Clinton’s favor in September 2025, finding the claims were barred by the Copyright Act’s statute of limitations. UMG had already been dismissed from that case in October 2023.
Clinton’s new lawsuit argues that the label has continued to use that case as a reason to hold back money anyway. “This is a straightforward breach of contract case,” the complaint states, claiming UMG withheld royalties “based on a third-party lawsuit to which UMG is not a party, in which UMG faces no claim, in which UMG could incur no liability, and in which the third party has now lost on summary judgment.”
The filing says one Parliament account alone shows $996,123.03 due as of the quarter ending December 31, 2025. Another Clinton/Clijo Productions account allegedly holds more than $99,000, while a Red Hot Chili Peppers-related account shows $29,543.22. Clinton’s attorneys argue that the Chili Peppers royalties have no connection to Worrell at all.
The case lands in the middle of a larger, decades-long fight over Clinton’s music rights. Clinton, 84, helped shape modern funk through Parliament-Funkadelic, whose influence later stretched into hip-hop, G-funk, and artists from Dr. Dre to Kendrick Lamar. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Parliament-Funkadelic in 1997 and entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2025.
Clinton is seeking more than $1.1 million in damages, the release of all withheld royalties, a full accounting, an injunction blocking further withholding, and attorneys’ fees.
UMG did not release a comment as of press time.
