Twitter was sued in Nashville, Tennessee, by 17 music publishers for facilitating unlawful music posting.
Twitter sends users “countless infringing copies of musical compositions,” the lawsuit claimed.
Sony Music Publishing (6758.T), BMG Rights Management, and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMG.AS) seek $250 million in copyright infringement damages.
Infringement has increased since Elon Musk bought Twitter in October, and TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube license music from publishers, according to the lawsuit.
Twitter was silent. NMPA President David Israelite said Twitter “stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service.”
The lawsuit claimed Twitter “routinely ignore s” repeat violations by tweeting unauthorized music. Twitter’s user infringement enhances engagement and ad revenue, giving it an “unfair advantage” over music licensing systems.
“Twitter’s internal affairs regarding matters pertinent to this case are in disarray,” the publishers said, citing dramatic layoffs to the legal and trust-and-safety teams since Musk seized control.