Seventeen music publishers sued Twitter in Nashville, Tennessee, a federal court for enabling thousands of copyright infringements by allowing unlicensed music posting.
Twitter engages users with “countless infringing copies of musical compositions,” the lawsuit alleged.
Sony Music Publishing (6758.T), BMG Rights Management, and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMG.AS) demand over $250 million in damages for copyright infringement.
The lawsuit said that since Elon Musk bought Twitter in October, infringement has worsened, and other key platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube license music from publishers.
Twitter did not immediately comment.
NMPA President David Israelite stated Twitter “stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service.”
The lawsuit claimed Twitter “routinely ignores” repeat infringement by users who tweet unlicensed music. Twitter’s user infringement boosts engagement and ad income, giving it an “unfair advantage” over platforms that pay for music licensing.
“Twitter’s internal affairs regarding matters pertinent to this case are in disarray,” the publishers claimed, citing severe cuts to the legal and trust-and-safety departments since Musk took control.
