Music publishers are suing Twitter for $250 million

The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), representing 17 music publishers, is suing Twitter for $250 million on grounds of copyright infringement. Part of NMPA are some of the world’s biggest music companies, including Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group, representing some of the biggest stars in the industry. According to the lawsuit, Twitter “fuels its business with countless infringing copies of musical compositions, violating Publishers’ and others’ exclusive rights under copyright law.” The NMPA claims that nearly 1,700 copyrights have been violated and asks the court to fine Twitter up to $150,000 for each violation.

David Israelite, CEO of the NMPA, emphasized Twitter’s unique position among social media platforms in his statement to the Los Angeles Times. He stated, “Twitter stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service.”

As it becomes clear from the lawsuit, almost all other social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, have deals with labels, publishers, and artists.

The lawsuit not only highlights Twitter’s longstanding disregard for music copyrights, but also sheds light on Elon Musk’s involvement with the company, which has only exacerbated the situation. Mr. Musk’s tweets are attached as evidence, illustrating his stance toward copyright law.

With the recent appointment of Twitter’s new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, expectations are high for potential changes within the company. Elon Musk acquired Twitter last year, and since then, significant transformations have taken place.

The company has downsized its workforce by 75%, revamped its account verification process, and, as hinted in a recent tweet by Elon Musk, Twitter may begin compensating creators for ads displayed in their replies.