On April 28, after a week-long trial and just under two hours of deliberations, a jury in Sherman, Texas, rendered a verdict in favor of Mo3’s estate, ordering that the late rapper has sole ownership and control over several released and unreleased vocal recordings, despite copyright and co-ownership claims asserted by Ray Gene Bollin, Jr., an audio technician and owner of Absolut Production Recording Studios.
The Estate of Melvin Noble, Jr. v. Ray Gene Bollin, Jr. was initiated by his estate on Aug. 10, 2023. Court documents note that prior to Noble’s signing with the record label Empire in 2019, Mo3 used Bollin’s studio to record his tracks.
According to Bollin’s answer to the lawsuit, he claimed “significant” contributions to Mo3’s work, including audio engineer and production contributions, rather than merely “setting up the microphone and pressing record” as the estate asserted. It was these contributions that led Bollin to posthumously claim an interest in the late artist’s works, which included 78 previously released recordings and 51 unreleased recordings—of which Bollin took the freedom to copyright between 2021 and 2024. The audio engineer also asserted that Mo3 owed him money for use of the studio, which remained unpaid.
In a dispute that erupted just prior to the case filing, Bollin proposed a settlement by requesting from the estate $20,820 for production and studio time, $624,000 in licensing fees for the 78 previously released songs, and $6,500 per unreleased recording in exchange for full ownership rights. This sum does not include the 25% royalty interest that was requested, in addition to back royalties and credits.
Court documents also cite that Bollin’s purported business manager, Purlie Gates (P.G.), met with the mother of one of Mo3’s children, Jasmine Moore on Aug. 24, 2023. During this meetup at a restaurant in Richardson, the estate alleges that P.G. “asked Moore to release the rights to [Mo3]’s vocal tracks that P.G. and/or Bollin had in their possession.”
According to the estate’s complaint, in exchange for these rights, P.G. claimed that Moore’s child would receive payments from Mo3’s music. This “shakedown,” as the estate coined it, served as a further catalyst for the suit.
In a final judgment filed Monday, May 12, the court ordered that Bollin is “not a joint author or co-owner of any sound recording that includes Melvin Noble, Jr’s vocal performance,” and that Bollin lacks any authority to assert or enforce copyrights to Noble’s recordings. Bollin is also to turn over all of Mo3’s vocal files to the estate and to cancel all copyright registrations for the published and unpublished works that he registered of Mo3, in addition to paying monetary damages.
Bollin is required to cancel the following copyright registrations.
B. Taylor Execs
While the case is a bittersweet victory for the estate, the larger picture of preserving the inherent rights of creatives and their intellectual property matters most.
“This decision is a pivotal moment not only for Mo3 but also in the fight for protecting the rights of all musical artists and creators against unauthorized claims by individuals within the recording industry ecosystem,” the estate said in a recent press release. “The outcome of this trial is a significant step in preserving the artistic legacy of Mo3 for his three minor children, ensuring they benefit from the music he passionately created. Mo3’s estate remains committed to honoring Mo3's memory and contributions to the music world.”
