Major music publishers file lawsuit against twitter alleging copyright infringement

Several major music publishers have launched a federal lawsuit against Twitter, accusing the social media giant of failing to address widespread copyright infringement on its platform.

“The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and its members have filed the lawsuit, asserting that Twitter should be held liable for up to $150,000 per infringed work, potentially resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.”

“David Israelite, CEO of the NMPA, responded to inquiries from AFP by stating, “Twitter stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service.” Israelite emphasized that Twitter is well aware that billions of people leak, release, and stream music on the platform daily.”

“The lawsuit claims that Twitter’s handling of copyright complaints has not improved since entrepreneur Elon Musk acquired the company for $44 billion late last year. In fact, the suit argues that Twitter’s internal operations related to copyright issues are in disarray. The legal action was filed in the state of Tennessee.”

“Earlier this month, Twitter’s head of trust and safety announced her departure from the company, although her reasons for leaving were not publicly disclosed. She is the second head of trust and safety to resign since Elon Musk took over the platform, resulting in reduced content moderation.”

“The lawsuit further alleges that Twitter has deliberately allowed the rampant infringement of copyrighted music to persist, knowing that such actions make the platform more popular and profitable. By permitting the use of unlicensed music in Twitter posts, the company gains an advantage over competitors like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, which pay fees to music publishers, according to the suit.”

“The legal document contends, “Twitter fuels its business with countless infringing copies of musical compositions,” highlighting the platform’s alleged dependence on unlicensed music.”

“This lawsuit adds to the growing scrutiny faced by Twitter since its acquisition by Elon Musk, who has made controversial decisions such as terminating numerous staff members, reinstating banned accounts, suspending journalists, and introducing fees for previously free services. Twitter now faces a legal battle as music publishers seek accountability for alleged copyright infringement on the platform.”