Key facts
- X Corp and major music publishers including Universal Music Group and Sony Music agreed to end a legal dispute.
- The dispute concerned the use of music on X's social media platform without a license.
- Both parties requested federal courts in Tennessee and Texas dismiss the lawsuits with prejudice.
- The publishers had initially sought over $250 million in damages for alleged infringement of nearly 1,700 copyrights.
- X had countersued, accusing the publishers of antitrust violations.
Elon Musk's X Corp and a group of major music publishers, including Universal Music Group and Sony Music, have agreed to end a legal dispute over the use of their music on the social media platform. The parties jointly requested federal courts in Tennessee and Texas to dismiss the lawsuits with prejudice, meaning the cases cannot be refiled.
The dispute began in 2023 when 17 music publishers sued X in Nashville, Tennessee, alleging infringement of nearly 1,700 copyrights and seeking over $250 million in damages. The publishers claimed X "routinely ignores" copyright infringement by its users, unlike platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, which properly license music.
In 2024, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger dismissed much of the publishers' lawsuit, ruling that X could not be held liable for direct or vicarious copyright infringement. However, she allowed a portion of the contributory infringement claim to proceed.
In January, X filed a countersuit in Texas, accusing the music publishers of violating federal antitrust law by refusing to negotiate individual licensing deals and forcing the platform to license songs at inflated rates. The publishers had asked for this case to be dismissed in April.