The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has filed a lawsuit against Twitter on behalf of 17 prominent music publishers.
Lawsuit against Twitter
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Tennessee, claims that the company survives by hosting numerous unauthorized copies of musical compositions, infringing on 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 flagged for copyright infringement to Twitter on multiple occasions, but the company has failed to take appropriate action.
The plaintiffs are requesting a court order imposing fines of up to $150,000 per violation on Twitter for its alleged violations.
The problem at hand predates Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter the previous year. According to unnamed employees quoted in The New York Times, they decided not to pursue a music licensing deal due to the significant costs involved, which were estimated to exceed $100 million per year.
According to the report, licensing negotiations between three major labels and Twitter hit snags following Musk’s takeover last autumn.
Surprisingly, the lawsuit mentions Musk’s tweets as well as the new features of the Twitter Blue package, such as the ability to upload longer videos.
Although it does not address the recent influx of movies uploaded to Twt, such as unauthorized copies of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Avatar: The Way of Water that were available for hours before being removed, it does provide examples of Musk’s tweets.
Company has received a number of reports of alleged copyright infringement, mostly involving music videos, live music performances, and videos synchronized with copyrighted music.
According to the NMPA, Twt has used these videos to increase the value of its platform by increasing user engagement.
However, despite being notified, the association accuses Twt of failing to promptly remove infringing content and of actively supporting known repeat infringers without imposing any consequences, allowing them to keep their accounts.
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