Microsoft was sued by the composer of Halo

IT House reported on February 12 that the original composer of the iconic soundtrack of the "Halo" series is suing Microsoft for unpaid royalties, which may hinder the release of the upcoming Halo TV series.

20 years after originally composing music for Bungie's Halo: Evolution of War, composers Marty O'Donnell and Mike Salvatori are still in arrears in royalties, they claim.

According to O'Donnell, he and Salvatori created Halo music and then licensed it to Bungie, meaning that the pair were entitled to royalties for those who traded in the name of O'Donnell Salvatori Inc. Even after Microsoft acquired Bungie's Halo in 2000, this license should remain the same, allowing composers to receive royalties for subsequent use in games and media.

Although this sounds like a public case to O'Donnell and Salvatori, they have been working hard to get any clarification on the matter. In an interview with Eurogamer, O'Donnell said they "never seemed to get any definitive information through our lawyers, even when I was at Microsoft."

This led O'Donnell and Salvatori to file a lawsuit in Washington State Court in June 2020. The lawsuit has been steadily advancing through forensics and discovery, and the mediation date is currently set for next week, however, there is no guarantee that a deal will be reached.

Microsoft's counterclaim against the lawsuit alleges that the music they made for Bungie and Halo was eligible for employment, which would make Microsoft the owner of the work and therefore would not be required to pay royalties.

Of course, O'Donnell disputed this claim, telling Eurogamer that "it's never about working for work". O'Donnell went on to claim, "This has always been a licensing deal. So that's what we did with Halo. The music for Halo, the first ever, was first composed and recorded in 1999. It was licensed to Bungie. Bungie Aura hasn't been acquired by Microsoft in more than a year. ”

With no clear outcome to the lawsuit, O'Donnell and Salvatori reportedly decided to put pressure on Microsoft to threaten the release of the upcoming Halo TV show on Paramount+.

According to Eurogamers, O'Donnell and Salvatori have instructed their lawyers to explore the possibility of blocking the release of Halo TV with a preliminary injunction. The move could delay the show, currently scheduled for March 24, or require Paramount and Microsoft to remove the series' iconic music from the series.