Judge Rules For SYSTEM OF A DOWN In Royalty Dispute With AMEN Frontman

May 25, 2010

Courthouse News Service reports that a federal judge in Manhattan ruled that SYSTEM OF A DOWN does not owe royalties to a publishing company for its Grammy-winning song "B.Y.O.B."

U.K.-based Maxwood Music claimed a 50 percent interest in the composition, saying it bought the rights from the song's alleged co-writer, Casey Chmielinski.

Maxwood sued lead guitar player Daron Malakian, lead singer Serj Tankian and their companies, Malakian Publishing and Shattered Mirrors Publishing.

Chmielinski, a singer/songwriter professionally known as Casey Chaos, claimed to have co-written "B.Y.O.B.", an Iraq War protest song that appeared on the 2005 album "Mezmerize".

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