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Motown Magic Sues Willkie Farr for Fraud, Breach of Contract

By Brian Baxter

Willkie Farr & Gallagher has been sued in federal court in Los Angeles by Lamont Dozier, the cofounder of songwriting and production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, which was behind hit Motown acts like The Supremes and The Isley Brothers. At issue: Willkie's role advising on an issuance of Bowie Bonds, the asset-backed security for song royalties sometimes called Pullman Bonds because they were popularized by the banker David Pullman, now chairman and CEO of The Pullman Group in New York. Dozier v. Willkie, 2:2009cv05145.

Bowie Bonds took the market by storm in 1997 when Pullman helped securitize future royalties from 300 David Bowie songs, including his 1972 hit “Ziggy Stardust.” The bonds were once hailed as a new form of IP securitization and other artists soon followed Bowie's bond lead. (A legal battle in the estate of entertainer James Brown revealed how Brown mortgaged royalties to hit songs for up-front payments from bond sales.)

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