Twitter has caused publishers “significant and irreparable harm,” according to the lawsuit.
The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has sued Twitter for $250 million. The organization cites copyright infringement as the reason. The lawsuit alleges that Twitter trades in illegal copies of copyrighted musical compositions. The platform harms artists, the NMPA further announced. Plaintiffs go as far as to say that Twitter is doing this “knowingly” and “on purpose.”
Twitter and copyright
According to the lawsuit, opponents of Twitter have long since recognized the need for licenses and agreements. However, the social media company in question has “rejected requests to obtain the licenses or other agreements necessary for the lawful use of music tracks on its platform”.
Twitter has already been publicly confronted with copyright violations in 2023. In January, a cease and desist letter from Dr. Dre to Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene about her account being suspended. In May of this year, Twitter allowed its “Blue” subscribers to upload two-hour videos, which some users perceived as an invitation to film piracy.
Several musicians were critical of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. Trent Reznor, for example, declared that he didn’t need the “billionaire-class arrogance” before deactivating his account. Elton John also walked away from Twitter after Musk took over. The danger that incorrect information could be spread too easily was too great for him after the change in the terms of use.