Twitter Facing $250 Million Lawsuit by Music Publishers Over Copyright Infringement

17 music publishers, including the three majors, are banding together to make Twitter answer for its unlicensed use of songs.

June 15, 2023

Twitter may be in deep trouble yet again.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the National Music Publishers Association filed a federal lawsuit on the behalf of 17 music publishers, including the three majors, Warner, Universal, and Sony. Official documents accuse the company of copyright infringement due to the app's lack of licensing and paying for music featured on its platform.

The NMPA is suing Twitter for up to $250 million over "roughly 1,700 works for which it received hundreds of thousands of takedown notices," THR writes.

The court filing reads, "Twitter fuels its business with countless infringing copies of musical compositions, violating Publishers’ and others’ exclusive rights under copyright law."

The complaint then alleges that Elon Musk's company hasn't "secured licenses for the rampant use of music being made on its platform," and that it hosts and streams "infringing copies of musical compositions, including ones uploaded by or streamed to Tennessee residents." (The suit was filed in a Tennessee federal court.)

It continues, “Twitter’s unlawful conduct has caused and continues to cause substantial and irreparable harm to Publishers, their songwriter clients, and the entire music ecosystem. Twitter’s unlawful conduct enriches Twitter at Publishers’ and their songwriters’ expense and to the detriment of their copyrighted musical compositions.”