Microsoft was sued by the composer of Halo

On February 12, it was reported that the original composer of the iconic soundtrack of the Halo series is suing Microsoft for paying unpaid royalties, which could hinder the release of the upcoming Halo TV series.

Twenty 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.

According to O'Donnell, he and Salvatori created the 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, and composers could 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 to 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 was never work 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 upcoming release of halo tv on Paramount+'s website.

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.