In early November, Daryl Hall commenced a lawsuit under seal before a Nashville Chancery Court to prevent John Oates, his decades long creative partner, from selling his interest in Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC, an investment firm that has been gobbling up song catalogs for years.
In February 2007, Primary Wave announced that it had purchased a substantial interest in the Hall & Oates song catalog the previous year.
Whole Oats Enterprises is a joint venture that holds the Hall & Oates trademarks, personal name and likeness rights, record royalty income and website and social media assets.
Hall has sought to enjoin the sale pending the outcome of an arbitration proceeding in which the arbitrator is being asked whether Oates may close on the sale. Hall has asserted neither he nor Oates can sell their stake in Whole Oats Enterprises without the other’s written consent and that he does not consent to the sale.
In a declaration filed with the Court, Hall stated, “[t]hey surreptitiously sought to sell half of the [Whole Oats Enterprises] assets without obtaining my written approval. Mutual approval over the power to sell partnership assets is inarguably the most important consent in any partnership.”
The Court originally granted a temporary restraining order. The proceeding has since been unsealed.
Following a hearing held on November 30, 2023, the Court extended the injunction until the arbitrator renders a decision, or until February 17, 2024.