The Khostinsky District Court in Sochi has ruled that the exclusive rights to Yuri Shatunov’s musical works belong to his family. This development was reported by the Krasnodar Territory courts joint press service via a Telegram channel.
The decision concerns twenty-three Shatunov compositions, with the family acquiring the rights to songs such as White Roses, Gray Night, Pink Evening, And I will hold out my palms to you, Autumn is slowly leaving, Stray Dog, Adults, Stupid Snowflakes, Of course everything, Summer, Masquerade, July, Snowstorm in a strange city, So what are you doing, Autumn Park, Let it be night, For your sake, Early Autumn, Old Forest, Melting Snow, Telephone Romance, You Just Were, and I’m Frank.
According to Yuri Shatunov’s family attorney, Sergei Vasiliev, the musician and the author of Tender May, Sergei Kuznetsov, signed an agreement dated October 1, 2019. The attorney was present at the negotiation, and thus has secure knowledge of its contents. The agreement reportedly granted Shatunov the right to perform the songs.
Shatunov had been pursuing a legal challenge against producer Andrei Razin for several years over Tender May. On June 8, 2022, the Stavropol Court of Cassation ruled in Shatunov’s favor, determining that the documents Razin had presented as evidence of the group’s rights were forged. After Shatunov’s death in June 2022, Razin attempted to sue the family for the rights to the listed compositions.
Earlier reports indicated that a former Tender May member had accused Razin of harassment in connection with these disputes.