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Music publishers sue Twitter for $250 million for copyright infringement

By Nithya Bose in Twitter/X News, posted June 15, 2023

Twitter is facing a lawsuit from 17 music publishers against copyright infringement on approximately 1,700 songs.

The publishers are seeking up to $250 million in damages, claiming the social media platform allowed users to post music without proper permission.

Negotiations between Twitter and the music industry to establish licensing agreements had previously broken down.

The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Nashville, alleges Twitter violated copyright law by failing to license the millions of songs on its platform.

David Israelite, the president of the National Music Publishers' Association, said: “Twitter stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service.”

The suit highlights specific instances of unauthorized music usage on Twitter, including tweets featuring music videos and songs without permission from the copyright holders.

One example mentioned in the lawsuit is a tweet containing two minutes of Rihanna's song "Umbrella," which garnered over 221,000 views and 15,000 likes.

The plaintiffs seek statutory damages of up to $150,000 for each of the nearly 1,700 infringed works, totaling approximately $250 million.

Music publishers represent copyrights for songwriting and composition, distinct from copyrights for recordings.

The suit also outlines the publishers' attempts to notify Twitter about copyright infringement through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act protocol.

It accuses Twitter of consistently delaying or failing to take action on the infringement notices provided by the National Music Publishers' Association.

Twitter had negotiated with major music labels, including Universal, Sony, and Warner, for licensing rights.

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However, discussions stalled after Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October.

Deals for music rights can cost social media companies over $100 million annually, as they involve compensating publishers and record labels for user-generated content featuring copyrighted songs.

Since acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk has implemented cost-cutting measures, including layoffs and delaying payments.

The company has experienced declining advertising revenue and faces significant debt obligations.

The lawsuit references Musk's previous tweets criticizing copyright law, suggesting a contradiction in his stance.

Twitter and Elon Musk have yet to respond to the lawsuit.

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