WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, October 19, left intact a ruling recognizing worldwide copyright ownership of “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)” after four justices did not participate, leaving the Court without a quorum.
The outcome preserves the lower-court judgment but is not a Supreme Court ruling on the merits of the copyright question.
In BMG Rights Management (US) LLC v. Vetter, the Court affirmed the judgment under Section 2109 of Title 28 of the United States Code. The order said the participating justices concluded the case could not be heard and decided during the Court’s next term.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson took no part. The order did not explain why.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit had affirmed the underlying judgment on January 12, 2026. It held that songwriter Cyril Vetter’s termination of an earlier copyright assignment reached his rights internationally. Vetter Communications Corporation separately acquired co-writer Donald Smith’s heirs’ renewal rights; the two plaintiffs collectively own the song’s copyright worldwide under that judgment.
The dispute has a direct television-licensing connection. According to the appeals court, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. sought an expanded license in 2022 for an existing television episode, including worldwide digital broadcasts and on-demand streams.
Monday’s order leaves that judgment standing without establishing a nationwide Supreme Court precedent on the scope of copyright termination.