Social media platform, Twitter, is facing more legal troubles. The most recent for alleged copyright infringement. The claim has been filed by a group of 17 music publishers in a federal court in Tennessee this week. Part of the claim relates to the period of time in which Elon Musk has owned the company, but the claim also relates to the years prior to the acquisition. The publishers claim Twitter to be the only major social media platform failing to pay licencing fees for copyrighted music played on its platform. It is claimed that Twitter were in protracted negotiations with three major music producers (Universal, Sony & Warner) in the autumn of 2021, but such negotiations were stayed following Musk’s takeover. Around 1,700 songs have been listed in the claim. In the US, a maximum penalty of $150,000 (approximately £117, 277.50) can be imposed per infringement and therefore, should the court rule Twitter has infringed all of the songs, and the maximum penalty imposed, Twitter could be looking at having to cough up a hefty $250,000,000 (approximately £194,986,250.00) in damages. It is to be seen how this case will play out. If you have any questions on the above or on any other IP related query, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com. in: Copyright, EU/International, Legal News, News
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