Ricardo Montaner
MIAMI – A Miami-based Latin American recording artist is going after two music labels over their wrongful claims of ownership of his albums.
Plaintiff Hector Reglero, professionally known as Ricardo Montaner, and his Montaner Legacy Music LLC filed their lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The named defendants are University Music Group NV, or UMG, and Universal Music Publishing Venezuela SA, or UMPV.
“Plaintiffs, by and through undersigned counsel, hereby sue Defendants regarding the ownership and income interest of certain sound recordings owned by Plaintiffs, and it sues Defendants due to their tortious interference with Plaintiffs’ advantageous business relationship with their licensee, Warner Music Latina Inc. d/b/a ADA Latin (‘ADA Latin’),” the 12-page filing states.
Montaner is an Argentine-born recording artist who is renowned throughout the world, specifically Latin America. He currently resides in Miami. In his multi-decade career, he has released more than 24 albums and has billions of streams worldwide.
UMG is based in Santa Monica, California, while UMPV is in Venezuela.
In November 1986, Montaner entered into an agreement with Love Records, which at the time was a Venezuelan record label.
Between 1986 and 1992, Montaner recorded, and Love Records released, five albums under the Love Records agreement.
On Nov. 19, 1993, Montaner and Love Records entered into a settlement agreement known as a “finiquito” to resolve a dispute between themselves and other related parties.
Pursuant to the finiquito, the Love Records agreement was annulled and all rights in the albums reverted to Montaner.
At the same time, Montaner and Love Music SA – a separate but related entity to Love Records – entered into an agreement that, Reglero claims, further confirmed his sole ownership of the albums and the reversion of all publishing rights to him.
Through a series of alleged acquisitions and assignments, Universal Music Venezuela SA, in 2001, claimed to be the assignee of Love Records’ right under the finiquito and/or the Love Music agreement, and claimed to be entitled to distribute and exploit the albums.
On Feb. 3, 2001, Universal Music Venezuela SA, or UMV – a now-defunct former Venezuelan subsidiary of UMG – entered into a distribution agreement with Montaner. The 2001 distribution agreement confirmed that Montaner is the sole owner of the albums.
On Dec. 12, 2022, UMG dissolved UMV.
Montaner subsequently delivered notices, terminating the 2001 distribution agreement, to UMG and UMPV – which, Reglero argues in his lawsuit, a copyright owner legally can do.
After the termination notices, Montaner granted Montaner Legacy an exclusive license to distribute and sublicense his albums.
On June 2, 2025, Legacy then entered into an agreement with ADA Latin to distribute the albums.
Nearly a year later, in April, UMG sent a letter to ADA Latin on behalf of UMPV, claiming UMPV is the owner of the albums.
Reglero alleges that in its wrongful claim letter UMPV demanded ADA Latin “refrain from the manufacture, distribution, marketing, or other sale and/or exploitation in any manner” of the albums.
“At the time it tendered the Wrongful Claim Letter, UMPV and UMG knew that they did not own the Albums,” Reglero’s lawsuit states. “UMPV and UMG knew that any entitlement to distribute the albums had already expired.
“UMPV and UMG further knew that they never owned the albums, nor did any entity.”
On May 6, UMG also sent a letter to Legacy, again claiming UMPV owned Montaner’s albums. It allegedly demanded Legacy take down the albums and provide information relating to their distribution.
“There is an immediate and present risk that ADA Latin will seek to terminate its distribution agreement with Legacy absent a judicial determination that UMG and UMPV have no rights in the Albums,” the filing states.
“Montaner and Legacy have been damaged, and continue to be damaged, by UMG and UMPV’s wrongful claims of ownership over the Albums.”
Reglero asks the federal court to enter an order that he is the rightful owner of the albums, that the defendants have no plausible claim to the albums, and that he may continue to exploit the albums as he so chooses.
He also seeks attorneys’ fees, costs, and compensatory and special damages in the form of lost profits from the exploitation of his albums.
Wolfe Law Miami PA is representing Reglero in the lawsuit.
