NBR – A collection of 17 record companies in the United States has filed a lawsuit against Twitter, alleging that the network permitted copyright breaches involving roughly 1,700 songs.
The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is suing for more than $250 million (£197.7 million).
The NMPA stated in a case brought in Federal District Court in Nashville that Twitter allows and promotes piracy for profit. It claims that the circumstances have not improved since Elon Musk purchased the platform.
The NMPA said that Twitter keeps profiting enormously from the distribution of unauthorised music without paying the required licensing fees. Sony Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, and Universal Music Publishing Group are among the companies represented by the Association.
It went on to say that the breaches gave Twitter a disproportionate edge over competitors who pay for music licenses.
“[Twitter] stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service,” stated National Music Publishers Association President David Israelite in a statement.
Requests for comment were not returned by Twitter.
Elon Musk, who recently recaptured the title of world’s richest person, paid $44 billion for Twitter last year.
“Twitter’s change in ownership in October 2022 has not led to improvements in how it acts with respect to copyright.” the NMPA said.
“On the contrary, Twitter’s internal affairs regarding matters pertaining to this case are in disarray,” it added.
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The NMPA brought up Twitter’s shrinking of essential departments responsible for content examination and regulating terms of service breaches. This includes the fact that both Yoel Roth and Ella Irwin, the trust and safety chiefs, have resigned.
According to the NMPA, Twitter habitually dismisses known repeat violators and violations.
Linda Yaccarino took over as CEO of the ailing social networking business earlier this month. Yaccarino was previously the chief of advertising at media company NBCUniversal.
She is in charge of the platform’s business operations, which has been struggling to earn revenue.
Musk has slashed 75% of Twitter’s personnel and modified how the firm verifies accounts since purchasing the company.
Teams tasked with tracking misuse were among those laid go.
