A New York judge has dismissed Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over control of their master recordings, including their 1987 breakout hit “Push It.” Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton filed the lawsuit in May 2025, arguing that the Copyright Act of 1976 allows artists to reclaim copyrights after 35 years. The duo had submitted termination notices in 2022 seeking to end UMG’s ownership of their early recordings.

UMG pushed back, claiming the termination notices were invalid because the recordings were “works made for hire” and that Salt-N-Pepa never owned the masters. The label filed a motion to dismiss the case in August. On Thursday, Judge Denise Cote granted that motion, ruling that the artists failed to state a valid claim. According to the dismissal, ownership of the master recordings was granted to Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions, with contracts executed between NITA and Next Plateau Records, not directly by Salt-N-Pepa.

In her ruling, Judge Cote wrote that “none of the contracts identified by Plaintiffs indicate that they ever owned the Master Tapes,” adding that the Copyright Act only allows termination of copyright transfers executed by the plaintiffs themselves. Salt-N-Pepa told Variety they plan to appeal the decision, stating they “respectfully disagree” with the ruling and remain committed to reclaiming their rights as creators under the Copyright Act.