Music publishers sue Twitter in Nashville for $250M over alleged copyright infringement

Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean
·1 min read

Twitter was hit with a $250 million federal lawsuit in Nashville on Wednesday from major music publishers alleging the social media platform is rife with copyright infringement for thousands of hit songs.

From Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" to Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back," the lawsuit alleges that Twitter for years has fueled its growth by allowing users to share songs on its platform in violation of copyright laws.

The suit was filed in US District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, noting that Nashville is a major center for music creation and licensing and that multiple plaintiffs base their businesses here.

The plaintiffs include dozens of music companies under the National Music Publishers’ Association, whose members include Sony, Universal and Warner Music Group.

The lawsuit notes that other social media companies like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat have all entered into agreements with publishers and other rights holders.

"While numerous Twitter competitors recognize the need for proper licenses and agreements for the useof musical compositions on their platforms, Twitter does not, and instead breeds massive copyrightinfringement that harms music creators," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says the problem has grown worse since Elon Musk bought the company last year for $44 billion and cut staff in critical departments involved with content review and policing terms of service violations.

Musk has described the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which protects copyright holders from online infringement, as a “plague on humanity,” the suit says.

The suit includes a list of about 1,700 songs and asks a judge to fine Twitter up $150,000 for each violation.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reach Kelly Puente at kpuente@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Music publishes sue, accuse social media firm for copyright violations