‘Blurred Lines’ Copyright Lawyer Richard Busch Appointed Special Counsel at Adams & Reese

‘Blurred Lines’ copyright lawyer Richard Busch joins law firm Adams & Reese as Special Counsel

June 2, 2026 By Rafaela Fornitani

Richard Busch, the entertainment lawyer who won the landmark Blurred Lines case and is now fighting Universal Music Group on behalf of Salt-N-Pepa, has joined Adams & Reese as Special Counsel and a member of the firm’s Global Intellectual Property Practice.

Joining him in the firm’s Nashville office are attorneys Drew Davis and David Niemierzycki , who will also serve on the Global Intellectual Property team.

The press release announcing Busch’s appointment noted that he “has secured multiple appellate victories and multimillion-dollar jury awards for major recording artists, music publishers, songwriters, and entertainment personalities”.

It added: “His high-profile clients have included Eminem’s producers and music publishers, the heirs of Marvin Gaye, Bridgeport Music, the Songwriters Guild of America, Bob Gaudio of the Four Seasons and Jersey Boys, Thomas Dolby, James Taylor, Al Bell, and Dwight Yoakam, among others”.

Busch secured the Blurred Lines copyright verdict for the heirs of Marvin Gaye , who were awarded $7.4 million by a jury in 2015 in a case against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke .

Additionally, Busch is also currently representing Grammy-winning rap duo Salt-N-Pepa in their appeal against Universal Music Group over the ownership of their master recordings.

Cheryl James and Sandra Denton are seeking to reclaim their early catalog under Section 203 of the US Copyright Act, which lets artists terminate a copyright transfer 35 years after the original grant.

A federal judge dismissed their lawsuit in January 2026 . UMG told the Second Circuit in May that the duo’s case has a “foundational deficiency,” urging the court to uphold that dismissal.

Busch also recently won a Sixth Circuit ruling reviving a copyright-ownership claim brought by the estate of late Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell against George Clinton .

The court reversed a lower court’s dismissal on May 27 and sent the case toward a jury trial, without resolving whether Worrell co-owned the recordings.

“Richard is one of the most accomplished IP litigators in the entertainment industry, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the firm,” said Gif Thornton , Managing Partner at Adams & Reese .

“His knowledge and experience in serving high-profile clients and winning landmark decisions over two decades and continuing to today speaks for itself.

“Richard’s addition, along with Drew Davis and David Niemierzycki , immediately elevates our intellectual property and entertainment law capabilities and reflects our commitment to building a world-class IP practice.”

> “ Nashville is one of the world’s great music cities, and joining a firm with a collaborative culture and national reach provides the ideal platform for high-stakes IP and entertainment law.” Richard Busch, Adams & Reese

“I’m excited to join Adams & Reese and to continue advocating for the creative rights of my clients,” said Richard Busch .

“ Nashville is one of the world’s great music cities, and joining a firm with a collaborative culture and national reach provides the ideal platform for high-stakes IP and entertainment law.

“I look forward to building on that momentum alongside Drew and David and delivering exceptional results for our clients.”

Busch joins Adams & Reese from Nashville -based law firm King & Ballow , where he led the entertainment and intellectual property practice.

> “His knowledge and experience in serving high-profile clients and winning landmark decisions over two decades and continuing to today speaks for itself.” Gif Thornton , Adams & Reese

His earlier wins include the Sixth Circuit ‘s ruling in Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films , which established that sampling even a brief portion of a sound recording without a license can amount to copyright infringement.

He also secured the Ninth Circuit ‘s decision in F.B.T. Productions, LLC v. Aftermath Records , which entitled Eminem ‘s early production company to a larger share of his download revenue.

His past clients include Eminem ‘s producers and publishers, Bridgeport Music , the Songwriters Guild of America , Bob Gaudio of the Four Seasons , James Taylor , and Dwight Yoakam , according to the firm.

Adams & Reese noted that Busch has been named to Billboard ‘s “Top Music Lawyers” and The Hollywood Reporter ‘s “Top 100 Entertainment Power Lawyers.”

Busch earned his law degree from Loyola University Law School and is admitted to practice in Tennessee , New York , and California , as well as before the US Supreme Court .

Founded in 1951 , Adams & Reese has nearly 350 attorneys and government relations advisors across 20 cities in the southern and western United States , according to the firm. Music Business Worldwide

_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/blurred-lines-copyright-lawyer-richard-busch-joins-law-firm-adams-reese-as-special-counsel/)._