X Sues Music Publishers, Alleging ‘Collusion’ Over Licensing Deals
The New York Times••business
Key Points:
- X, owned by Elon Musk, filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against music publishers and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), accusing them of conspiring to force X into licensing deals at inflated rates.
- The lawsuit alleges the publishers used the copyright takedown process as leverage to coerce X into accepting blanket licensing agreements, preventing competition among individual publishers.
- X seeks unspecified damages and an injunction to stop the publishers from continuing their alleged coercive negotiation tactics.
- The case was filed in the Northern District of Texas, a venue known for conservative rulings, where X has directed all user litigation despite its headquarters being outside that district.
- NMPA CEO David Israelite responded by accusing X of copyright infringement
