The National Music Publishers’ Association sued Twitter Inc. Wednesday, alleging it violates the copyright of songwriters by using their music on its platform without permission.
The NMPA — the leading advocate for songwriters in the US, which counts many of the largest music companies among its members — is seeking a court declaration that Twitter willfully infringed the musical work for approximately 1,700 songs. The organization filed the complaint in federal court in Nashville on behalf of 17 music publishers, including Sony Music and Universal Music Publishing Group.
“The Twitter platform, which Elon Musk purchased in 2022 for $44 billion, is rife with copyright infringement,” the group said in the complaint, adding that the social media company’s “unlawful conduct enriches Twitter at publishers’ and their songwriters’ expense.”