In a legal bombshell that has sent shockwaves through the tech and music worlds, a group of 17 music publishers has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Twitter, alleging rampant copyright infringement involving approximately 1,700 songs. The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Nashville, Tennessee, accuses Twitter of dancing on the edge of copyright law by allowing users to post music without the appropriate permissions.
This legal overture comes at a tumultuous time for Twitter. The social media giant is grappling with financial troubles while simultaneously facing criticism for its laissez-faire approach to content moderation. Under the reign of Elon Musk, who acquired the company in October 2022, cost-cutting measures such as employee layoffs, skipped rent payments, and delayed vendor payments have become the norm. Coupled with a decline in advertising revenue and looming debt payments in the billions, Twitter finds itself in troubled waters.
At the heart of the lawsuit lies the assertion that Twitter has failed to “properly license the vast music library available on its platform.” Notably, Twitter stands alone among major social media platforms in its lack of licensing agreements with the music industry.
The lawsuit goes beyond making general claims of copyright infringement, citing specific instances of infringement. One example is a tweet that featured a two-minute video of Rihanna’s hit “Umbrella” without obtaining consent from the song’s publishers. The publishers are seeking statutory damages, potentially up to $150,000 for each of the nearly 1,700 infringed musical works, for a staggering total of $250 million.
The legal battle also delves into the publishers’ attempts to alert Twitter about these infringements, following the protocol outlined in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The publishers allege that Twitter has consistently delayed or disregarded their notices, adding fuel to the legal fire.
Interestingly, the lawsuit attempts to turn Elon Musk’s own words against him. It cites Musk’s tweets where he criticized existing copyright law as “absurdly far beyond protecting the original creator” and labeled the DMCA as a “plague on humanity.”
The outcome of this legal battle remains uncertain, but its repercussions could reverberate through both the music and tech industries. A favorable ruling for the publishers could establish a precedent, emboldening other music publishers to take legal action against social media companies for copyright infringement. Additionally, it could usher in changes in how social media platforms handle copyrighted content, adding new notes to the ever-evolving harmony of digital copyright law. The music world watches and waits as this high-stakes legal drama unfolds.
Read More via The New Times.com
