In a dramatic escalation of the long-running feud between Big Tech and the music industry, Elon Musk's social media platform X Corp has filed a major antitrust lawsuit against some of the world's largest music publishers. The legal action, filed in a federal district court in Texas, targets industry giants including Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, and Warner Chappell Music.
Allegations of Collusion and Inflated Licensing Rates
The core of X Corp's complaint revolves around accusations of illegal collusion. The lawsuit alleges that these publishers, representing more than 90% of copyrighted music in the United States, worked together through their trade body, the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), to block X from negotiating individual licensing deals. According to the filing reviewed by Reuters, this collective action was designed to force the platform to accept what X calls "inflated" industry-wide licensing terms.
"X has been denied the ability to acquire a US musical composition license from any individual music publisher on competitive terms," the lawsuit states. The company argues this violates federal antitrust laws by suppressing competition and creating an unfair marketplace.
A Tactical War of Takedowns and Countersuits
The legal filing provides a glimpse into the bitter behind-the-scenes conflict. X claims that the publishers have been weaponizing copyright claims, sending large numbers of takedown requests each week targeting thousands of posts containing copyrighted music, even from prominent accounts. This, X asserts, was a pressure tactic to force the company into a costly blanket licensing agreement.
The impact on the platform has been significant. X says it has already been compelled to remove thousands of posts and suspend over 50,000 users, actions that have directly hurt its user engagement and advertising revenue. The company is now seeking court intervention to restore fair competition and compensation for lost ad income.
Music Industry Fires Back: "Meritless" and "Bad Faith"
The music publishers have responded with fierce criticism. David Israelite, President and CEO of the NMPA, told Reuters that X remains the only major social media platform operating without proper music licenses. He framed X's lawsuit as a diversionary tactic.
"We allege that X has engaged in copyright infringement for years, and its meritless lawsuit is a bad faith effort to distract from publishers’ and songwriters’ legitimate right to enforce against X’s illegal use of their songs," Israelite stated. This countersuit narrative sets the stage for a protracted legal battle.
Background of Legal Skirmishes and a Partial Victory for X
This new lawsuit follows years of disputes over copyright payments. Notably, in 2024, X managed to get a large portion of a separate 2023 lawsuit dismissed. That earlier case, filed by 17 publishers including Sony and Universal, had accused X of copyright violations involving nearly 1,700 songs and sought damages exceeding $250 million.
In its latest filing, X Corp also revealed that some publishers have shown openness to settling disputes through individual agreements, suggesting potential cracks in the united front alleged by the company. The outcome of this high-stakes legal fight could reshape how social media platforms license music in the future.
