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Spanish Skater Loses ‘Minions’ Music Days Before Olympics, Exposing Licensing Snag

Rights holders retain veto power over songs cleared through ISU channels, forcing last‑minute program changes.

Overview

  • Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté said he was told last Friday his Minions short program cannot be used at Milano Cortina because of a copyright clearance issue, with the men’s short program scheduled for Feb. 10.
  • He says he followed ISU procedures by submitting the track through ClicknClear in August and competed to it throughout the season.
  • The ISU acknowledged the situation, noted it has no contractual relationship with ClicknClear, and said it is working with rights clearance stakeholders.
  • ClicknClear’s CEO said record labels and publishers have sole discretion to approve or deny uses and set fees, meaning submission through the system does not guarantee Olympic approval.
  • The case reflects a broader pattern affecting other skaters such as Marie‑Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac, following tighter enforcement after the Heavy Young Heathens lawsuit from Beijing 2022.