On behalf of 17 prominent music publishers, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has taken legal action against Twitter.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Tennessee, alleges that the company sustains its operations by hosting numerous unauthorized copies of musical compositions, thereby violating the exclusive rights of publishers and other rights holders as outlined in copyright law.
The lawsuit also includes a comprehensive list of approximately 1,700 songs that the publishers claim have been repeatedly flagged for copyright infringement to Twitter, yet the company has failed to take appropriate action. The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to impose fines of up to $150,000 per violation on Twitter for its alleged infringements.
The issue at hand predates Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion in the previous year. According to unnamed employees mentioned in The New York Times, Twitter had opted not to pursue a music licensing deal due to the significant associated costs, which were estimated to exceed $100 million annually.
The report also stated that licensing negotiations between three major labels and Twitter had encountered obstacles following Musk’s takeover last autumn.
Interestingly, the lawsuit also references Musk’s tweets and the added features of the Twitter Blue package, such as the capability to upload longer videos.
Although it does not specifically address the recent influx of movies uploaded to Twitter, such as unauthorized copies of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Avatar: The Way of Water that remained available for hours before being removed, it does provide examples of certain tweets by Musk.
Twitter has received numerous notifications regarding alleged copyright infringement, primarily related to music videos, live music performances, and videos synchronized with copyrighted music. The NMPA asserts that Twitter has utilized these videos to augment its platform’s value by prolonging user engagement.
However, the association accuses Twitter of neglecting to promptly remove infringing content despite being notified and alleges that the platform has actively supported known repeat infringers without imposing any consequences, thus allowing them to maintain their accounts.
