Linkin Park + Former Bassist Settle Royalties Lawsuit

UPDATE [March 29, 2024]: Linkin Park and former bassist Kyle Christner have settled their royalties lawsuit. A statement on the matter reads as follows:

Linkin Park and bass guitarist Kyle Christner have amicably resolved the royalty lawsuit brought by Mr. Christner in federal court in California.
“We are pleased to announce that we have reached an amicable resolution with bass guitarist Kyle Christner,” said a spokesperson for Linkin Park. “Kyle is a very talented musician who made valuable contributions to Linkin Park at a pivotal time in 1999. He performed with the band in several shows and many record label showcases. Kyle helped write and performed on many songs from that era, including some of the songs on the Hybrid Theory EP.”

Linkin Park are seeking to have a lawsuit filed former bassist Kyle Christner seeking royalties dismissed.

Per Billboard, attorneys for the band say that such claims by Christner seeking royalties have been repudiated for "over two decades."

The band's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday (March 5), claiming that Christner's lawsuit is "rife with defects." One of the key elements to their motion is that the statute of limitations on Christner's claim has "long since passed."

The Tuesday motion also stated that the lawsuit failed to clearly identify which songs Christener was involved with. "Defendants cannot reasonably be expected to know how to respond to the [lawsuit] without knowing which copyrights are being addressed," the band's lawyers stated.

Christner's tenure in Linkin Park was brief, with the bassist serving as part of the band in 1999. The musician claimed in his initial filing (as reported by Rolling Stone) that he played with the band during their showcase for Warner Records, Inc., which helped them to secure their record deal. In addition, he contends that he collaborated with the group to compose some of their earlier songs.

Rolling Stone reported that Christner was contacted by one of Linkin Park's former managers, who informed the bassist that his recorded work appears on parts of the 20th anniversary box set edition of the group's debut album, Hybrid Theory.

It is alleged that this manager told Christner he is owed royalties and that when the bassist reached out to Machine Shop Entertainment (Linkin Park's management company), they "went dark" after acknowledging that the communication was received.

What Linkin Park Recordings Is Kyle Christner Said to Be Featured On?

The unnamed former manager is said to have told Christner that, regarding the Hybrid Theory anniversary box set contents, he is owed money on three demo recordings and the Hybrid Theory EP which is six songs.

Christner contends his recorded work appears on more than 20 songs, including “She Couldn’t,” “Chair,” “Blue” and “Step Up.”

Rolling Stone quoted the legal filing as stating, “In fact, Christner appears to have played on at least tracks two, three, four, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, and 12 of Forgotten Demos, tracks one, two, seven, 13, 14, 16, 17 of LPU Rarities, and track seven of B-Side Rarities, as well as the Hybrid Theory EP."

What Linkin Park's Lawyers Are Stating

“Plaintiff claims that defendants … owe him money because he was a member of the band for, at most, eight months, 25 years ago, and was not paid for his ‘contributions’,” writes the band’s lead counsel, prominent music litigator Edwin F. McPherson. “He asserts three claims, each of which fails.”

Who Was Named in the Lawsuit?

Each of Linkin Park's living members that were part of the group at the time - Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson and Joseph Hahn - were named in Christner's suit.

The bassist also named Machine Shop Entertainment and the Warner Records label.