The US National Music Publishers' Association sues Twitter, alleging the company violates the copyright of songwriters by using ~1,700 songs without permission
The dispute remained consequential beyond its filing: a judge later [[a:850075|allowed parts of the NMPA’s case against X to proceed while dismissing the direct-infringement claim]]. The record underscores how platform liability can turn on the precise role a service plays in hosting, selecting, or using music.
First-order effects
Twitter must defend against the NMPA’s allegations concerning roughly 1,700 songs, while the publishers seek to enforce songwriters’ rights over the claimed uses.
The suit raises immediate pressure on Twitter to account for the music uses at issue and to demonstrate the permissions or legal defenses it says apply.
If publishers sustain claims across multiple platform formats, music rights clearance may become a more central product and compliance requirement rather than a back-office licensing task.
The pattern points to a durable contest over how copyright rules apply when platforms make music available through social, interactive, and creator-facing features; outcomes will depend on each service’s specific conduct.
The trend: Music publishers are broadening copyright enforcement from traditional streaming disputes to the expanding set of platforms that incorporate songs into social and interactive products.
Twitter hit w/ a $250M lawsuit from music publishers Universal, Sony, Warner & others for alleged mass copyright infringement & failure to respond to 100s of 1000s of takedown notices. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ... They're the only major social media platform without mus…
Twitter is legally obligated to take down copyrighted material when it receives a DMCA takedown notice (this happens all the time). The question is whether Twitter 2.0 has the resources to remain compliant w/ these requests.
i am also surprised by this lawsuit because i also watched the movie john wick 4 on twitter dot com and as a reasonable person of sound mind came to the conclusion that Lionsgate Films was, by permitting it to be distributed on Twitter, endorsing Elon Musk's antisemitic beliefs h…
Music companies are suing Twitter for using copyrighted music w/o permission. Twitter is one of the only major social platforms that doesn't have music licensing agreements (although employees have pushed for this for years). https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ ...
Lmao I remember this and thought back then it would bite him in the ass if this ever happened. Generally if you're committing a crime you should simply not talk about it! https://twitter.com/... [image]
“Twitter is one of the only major social media platforms that doesn't pay music rights to holders for licenses to their work. YouTube, Facebook, Snap and TikTok all have agreements that collectively pay the music industry billions of dollars a year.” via @Lucas_Shaw https://twitt…
More than 15 record labels sued Twitter today for copyright infringement, seeking over $225M in damages. They allege that, unlike “numerous Twitter competitors,” Twitter “breeds massive copyright infringement that harms music creators.” [image]
Most major social media sites have licensing agreements to use copyrighted music. Twitter is the lone holdout, and is being sued in the state of Tennessee for refusal to license music and multiple violations both before and during Elon Musk's takeover: https://www.hollywoodreport…
surprised by this lawsuit because i had come to believe that works such as john wick 4 that were reproduced in full on twitter and not taken down for extended periods were licensed by the holders. in fact i continue to believe that, to the lasting damage of the rights holders htt…