Music publishers are suing Twitter
17 music publishers in the US have filed a lawsuit against Twitter, alleging that the social media site allowed for copyright violations involving around 1,700 songs.
The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is requesting damages in excess of $250 million (£197.7 million).
The American Music Publishers Association (NMPA) sued Twitter, alleging that the social media platform “permits and encourages infringement” for financial gain.
It claims that after Elon Musk acquired the business, the situation has not changed.
Twitter continues to “reap huge profits from the availability of unlicensed music without paying the necessary licensing fees for it,” according to the NMPA, which represents companies like Sony Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, and Universal Music Publishing Group.
It continued by saying that Twitter now has an “unfair advantage” against rivals who purchase music licenses, such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Twitter “stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service,” according to a statement from NMPA President David Israelite. A BBC request for feedback received no immediate response from Twitter.
Twitter was purchased by Mr. Musk, who recently recaptured the title of world’s richest person, for $44 billion last year.
The NMPA added that Twitter’s ownership shift in October 2022 did not change the way the company handles copyright.
“On the contrary, Twitter’s internal affairs regarding matters pertinent to this case are in disarray,” it continued.
The NMPA cited Twitter’s elimination of “critical departments involved with content review and policing terms of service violations” as well as the resignations of Yoel Roth and Ella Irwin, the company’s trust and safety chiefs.
The NMPA further claimed that Twitter “routinely ignores known repeat infringers and known infringements”.
NBCUniversal’s former chief of advertising, Linda Yaccarino, took over as the embattled social media company’s new leader earlier this month.
Ms. Yaccarino is in charge of the platform’s business operations, which have had trouble turning a profit.
Since purchasing Twitter, Mr. Musk has modified how the firm validates accounts and slashed 75% of its personnel, including teams responsible for tracking abuse.
Reporting by Reporters Newswire
