Music publishers accuse Twitter of copyright infringement, seek $250 million
Elon Musk's time at the helm of Twitter has seen a barrage of lawsuits from various parties. The latest is by the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), a group representing 17 music publishers. This lawsuit is the biggest Musk's Twitter has faced yet. The NMPA is seeking about $250 million in damages. Let's see what the new legal tussle is about.
Why does this story matter?
Twitter is no stranger to lawsuits. In the past few months alone, the company has faced multiple legal actions over unpaid rent, other missed payments, and mass layoffs. No lawsuit seemed to have rattled Twitter or Musk till now. However, things might go differently this time. The NMPA has a history of dragging social media companies to court over non-compliance.
Publishers accuse Twitter of making profits from infringement
In its lawsuit before the Federal District Court in Nashville, NMPA accuses Twitter of allowing to share music on the platform without the permission of copyright holders. According to the complaint, Twitter "fuels its business with countless infringing copies of musical compositions." It says the company violates the rights of publishers and other stakeholders under copyright law.
Negotiations for a licensing deal stalled after Musk's acquisition
The NMPA's issue with Twitter predates Musk's acquisition. Per the New York Times, Twitter was close to cutting a licensing deal with major music labels like Universal, Sony, and Warner. However, Musk's acquisition stalled the negotiations. Deals for music rights that compensate publishers and labels can amount to around $100 million a year. It makes sense why Musk didn't go ahead with it.
The complaint listed about 1,700 songs
The NMPA is suing Twitter for copyright infringement of about 1,700 songs. It is demanding up to $150,000 for every violation. Per the complaint, the association notified Twitter of around 300,000 tweets with infringing content since December 2021. The NMPA says Twitter failed to take any action against such tweets despite repeated notices. "Twitter permits and encourages infringement," the complaint said.
The suit tries to use Musk's own words against him
The suit also takes aim at Musk by trying to use his own words against him. It calls the court's attention to a number of tweets by him, which criticize the current copyright laws. "Current copyright law in general goes absurdly far beyond protecting the original creator," Musk once wrote. He also said "overzealous" Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) "is a plague on humanity."
Complaint alleges that Twitter allows infringed content to attract users
The complaint particularly targets music videos, videos of live performances, and other videos with copyrighted music. It says, by allowing infringed content on its platform, Twitter attracts and retains users. The complaint also cites the example of other social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat that reached a deal with the publishers.
