Judge continues order to stop release of unpublished Prince songs

May 22, 2017 at 9:54PM

A federal judge in Minneapolis on Monday extended a temporary injunction barring a former Prince sound engineer from releasing unpublished recordings by the late artist.

U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright's order also required Paisley Park Enterprises to post a $1 million bond while the case is litigated.

Engineer George Ian Boxill, who worked for Prince from 2006-2008, sought to publish five of his unreleased songs. Paisley Park Enterprises, acting on behalf of Prince's estate, sued Boxill in an effort to stop him. The suit alleges that the songs were covered by a 2004 confidentiality agreement Boxill had with Prince.

If the $1 million bond isn't posted, the temporary restraining order would be dissolved and Boxill would be clear to release the music.

Boxill is also required to deliver all recordings from his time at Paisley Park to the plaintiffs, including originals, analog, digital versions and derivative work. She allows Boxill's lawyers to keep a "forensic" copy of the recordings.

Before the lawsuit, the song "Deliverance" was briefly available online, and iTunes was taking orders for the entire five-song album. Prince, who died a year ago in his home from an accidental overdose of painkillers, sings, plays guitar and keyboards on the songs, according to the lawsuit.

DAVID CHANEN

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