Musks X sues music publishers over alleged licensing conspiracy

Core Argument - X Corp has filed a lawsuit against 18 major music publishers and the National Music Publishers' Association, alleging a conspiracy to block competition and impose inflated licensing fees for musical works [1][2]. Group 1: Lawsuit Details - The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Texas, accusing major music publishers, including Sony Music, Universal Music, and Warner Chappell, of violating federal antitrust laws by refusing to negotiate individual licensing deals with X [2]. - The complaint states that publishers representing over 90% of U.S. copyrighted music have conspired against X through the National Music Publishers' Association [3]. Group 2: Impact on X Corp - X claims that the publishers have inundated the platform with weekly takedown notices targeting thousands of posts containing copyrighted music, which has pressured the platform to accept industrywide licensing terms [4]. - As a result of these actions, X has removed thousands of posts and suspended over 50,000 users, negatively impacting its user base and advertising revenue [4]. Group 3: Previous Legal Context - In 2024, X successfully had most of a lawsuit dismissed that was filed by 17 music publishers, including Sony and Universal, which accused it of copyright infringement on nearly 1,700 songs, seeking over $250 million in damages [5]. - X noted that some of the publishers involved in the previous lawsuit have shown willingness to negotiate settlements on individual terms [5].