Judge rules no go for Ramones suit

NEW YORK, April 23 (UPI) -- A former drummer for New York's seminal punk band, The Ramones, has lost his lawsuit seeking royalties for digitally downloaded songs.

Richard Reinhardt, aka "Richie Ramone," filed suit in federal court claiming Wal-Mart, Apple Inc. and RealNetworks Inc. owed him $900,000 for digital downloads of songs he penned while drumming for the group from 1983 to 1987.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, however, tossed the suit Tuesday, saying Reinhardt's claim lacked merit, the New York Daily News reported.

Scheindlin said a contract signed by the band in 1984 "clearly authorizes the digital uses employed by defendants," because "future technologies are covered by the agreement," the News said.

"Smash You" and "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" were among the tunes Reinhardt claimed as his own.