The dispute began in January 2019 when Kanye West sued EMI, the music publisher responsible for his publishing rights since 2003. West then claimed that the publisher was trying to control his music for the rest of his life. He then referred to a charter used by several musicians to negotiate their contracts. The Charter limits personal service contracts to a maximum of seven years.

The publisher sued West back

The publisher, for his part, believed that West had no right to breach the contract because he had written on several extensions giving the EMI publishing rights to his music. The music publisher therefore responded by suing the hip-hop star.

In September, it seemed as if the parties were close to an agreement when the judge in the case was informed of a settlement. However, the parties do not appear to have reached a solution to the conflict.

"Unfortunately, the parties have not been able to finalize the terms of the settlement agreement," EMI's attorneys write in a letter to the court.