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Contract analysis / email-settlement-update-ngo-delgado.eml
email-settlement-update-ngo-delgado.eml
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From: Alan Ngo <a.ngo@calderwoodharkness.com>
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⚑ Confidentiality undertaking
From: Alan Ngo <a.ngo@calderwoodharkness.com> To: Marcus Delgado <m.delgado@calderwoodharkness.com> Cc: Christy Bauer <c.bauer@calderwoodharkness.com> Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:47:00 -0700 Subject: Fonseca v. Crescendo — Settlement Reached [PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL]
Good news to close out the day — we reached a settlement with Crescendo this afternoon. Th
Good news to close out the day — we reached a settlement with Crescendo this afternoon. This came together at the conclusion of a follow-up negotiation session building on the July 10 mediation before Hon. Gerald T. Nakashima (Ret.) at Ashgrove Equity Partners Dispute Resolution Services, LLC. Both sides signed the term sheet about an hour ago, and Christy will circulate the executed copy separately.
Here's where we landed on the principal terms:
Here's where we landed on the principal terms:
Total cash settlement: $1,620,000, broken down as follows:
Total cash settlement: $1,620,000, broken down as follows:
- $1,425,000 in back-royalties, split equally between Flor de Luna Publishing, LLC ($712,5
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⚑ Commercial term
- $1,425,000 in back-royalties, split equally between Flor de Luna Publishing, LLC ($712,500) and Mariposa Sound Recordings, LLC ($712,500) - $195,000 in attorney's fees reimbursement, payable directly to Calderwood & Harkness LLP
Payment is structured in two installments:
Payment is structured in two installments:
- First installment: $1,100,000 due within 30 calendar days of execution of the definitive
- First installment: $1,100,000 due within 30 calendar days of execution of the definitive agreement (target date: September 13, 2023) - Second installment: $520,000 due within 90 calendar days of execution (target date: November 12, 2023)
Crescendo receives a 3-year non-exclusive license covering the 47 compositions and 32 mast
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⚑ Non-compete / exclusivity restraint
Crescendo receives a 3-year non-exclusive license covering the 47 compositions and 32 master recordings at issue. Key terms:
- Royalty rate of $0.035 per stream
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⚑ Notice / time limit to track
- Royalty rate of $0.035 per stream - Minimum annual guarantee (MAG) of $175,000 per year ($525,000 total over the 3-year term) - Quarterly reporting and payment, with statements due within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter - Automatic termination of the license and a 48-hour takedown obligation if Crescendo fails to make any payment within 10 business days of its due date
- Annual audit rights for Fonseca, exercisable through Thornfield Music Administration, In
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⚑ Confidentiality undertaking
- Annual audit rights for Fonseca, exercisable through Thornfield Music Administration, Inc. or a designated auditor. If discrepancies exceed 5%, Crescendo bears the cost of the audit. - Mutual confidentiality provisions with standard carve-outs for tax reporting, legal obligations, and catalog administrators. - Mutual release covering all claims arising from the identified works for the period January 1, 2019 throug
A few notes on this front. Denise K. Whitford at Hargrove, Pennington & Cao LLP negotiated
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⚑ Commercial term
A few notes on this front. Denise K. Whitford at Hargrove, Pennington & Cao LLP negotiated hard on the attorney's fees component — Crescendo initially offered $125,000. We held firm at $195,000 given our lodestar and the strength of a potential motion under 17 U.S.C. § 505, and they ultimately came around.
The $195,000 attorney's fees reimbursement will be credited against Ms. Fonseca's fee obli
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⚑ Commercial term
The $195,000 attorney's fees reimbursement will be credited against Ms. Fonseca's fee obligation to the Firm. The 10% contingency on gross recovery yields $162,000 (10% × $1,620,000). Total estimated fee realization on the matter comes to approximately $285,000, inclusive of hourly fees at reduced rates ($725/hr partner, $475/hr associate) plus the contingency uplift. A good result on a six-month engagement.
Ms. Fonseca is pleased with the outcome. She views the prospective license as particularly
Ms. Fonseca is pleased with the outcome. She views the prospective license as particularly important — it legitimizes the ongoing relationship with Crescendo and provides a guaranteed revenue stream going forward. That was a priority for her from the outset, and I'm glad we were able to deliver on it.
Christy and Peter — please convert the signed term sheet into a full Settlement Agreement
Christy and Peter — please convert the signed term sheet into a full Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release, targeting execution by August 14, 2023. We'll also need the Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice prepared for simultaneous filing in Case No. 2:23-cv-02841-RGK-PLA (C.D. Cal.).
Marcus, if you have any questions or concerns on the billing side, please flag them and we
Marcus, if you have any questions or concerns on the billing side, please flag them and we can discuss.
Alan Ngo
Alan Ngo Partner Calderwood & Harkness LLP Matter No. 1035-00003
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⚑ Confidentiality undertaking
——————————————————————————————— PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEY-CLIENT COMMUNICATION / ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT
This email and any attachments are privileged and confidential, intended solely for the us
Medium
⚑ Confidentiality undertaking
This email and any attachments are privileged and confidential, intended solely for the use of the individual(s) to whom it is addressed. This communication may contain information protected by the attorney-client privilege, the attorney work product doctrine, or other applicable protections. If you are not the intended recipient, or have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e