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Major Music Publishers Sue Twitter for $250 million in “Massive Copyright Infringement” Case

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Major Music Publishers Sue Twitter for $250 million in “Massive Copyright Infringement” Case

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022, the platform has become known as somewhat of a lawless place with the loosening or removal of many prior restrictions on content and speech. However, the law has seemingly caught up to the lawless platform.

On Wednesday, Universal, Sony, Warner, and 14 smaller publishers filed a lawsuit against Twitter for at least $250 million over the alleged infringement of approximately 1,700 works. The lawsuit alleges that Twitter had been sent hundreds of thousands of takedown notices, most all of which were ignored. Twitter has also ignored requests to obtain the proper licenses for music and other forms of copyrighted intellectual property.

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Tennessee, alleges that Twitter “consistently and knowingly hosts and streams infringing copies of music compositions” in an effort to “retain account holders and viewers” and “grow the body of engaging tweets” and ultimately, “fuel its business.”

Twitter is currently the only major social media platform that does not have some sort of music licensing agreement in place. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok all have entered into agreements with publishers that allow the platforms to legally host music, videos, and other copyrighted content. In return, the agreements specify that the platforms compensate the creators and/or publishers for use of their content. (Before Musk took over Twitter, several major publishers had been in talks with former CEO Jack Dorsey to set up a similar agreement in 2021).

According to Yahoo, in December 2021, the National Music Publishers’ Association, acting on behalf of the publishers, began sending formal infringement notices to Twitter on a weekly basis, according to the complaint. The company was notified of over 300,000 infringing tweets. The lawsuit alleges that most tweets were not removed and the accounts of repeat offenders were not penalized in any way. The lawsuit alleges that Twitter basically encouraged this type of activity by taking no action against offenders.

Previously, Elon Musk had tweeted that “current copyright law in general goes absurdly far beyond protecting the original creator,” suggesting that certain aspects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) may go too far in overstepping its boundaries on social media.

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Elon Musk Paints over ‘W’ on Twitter Headquarters Sign, now reads ‘Titter’

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Elon Musk Paints over W on Twitter Headquarters Sign now reads Titter

Even though April Fools Day was over a week ago, the jokes apparently have not stopped for Elon Musk. Over the weekend, the eccentric Twitter CEO apparently defaced…his own business’s sign.

For reasons completely unclear, Musk had covered up the “w” on the company’s sign outside of its headquarters in San Francisco. While some assumed that it was a routine maintenance or repair issue, it appeared that Musk had done it….just because.

However, while some fans thought that the stunt was funny, the building’s landlord was apparently not having it, stating that the sign could not be altered from its previously-approved design.

Apparently Musk (or one of his staff) may have found a loophole in the contract that allowed them to paint the “w” the background color of the sign (white). While some people were unsure whether the painting was the work of vandalism, Musk proudly took credit on Sunday on (where else?) Twitter, showing off the new sign.

No word if the social media platform will officially be changing its name any time soon.

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Twitter Struck With Lawsuit, Sued by Landlord For Missed Rent

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Twitter has been slammed with a lawsuit by a commercial landlord following a breach of contract. This comes after the company had reportedly failed to pay rent for its office space in San Francisco at 650 California Street. 

Although this space is not the company’s headquarters, reports have circulated last month stating that Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, had put rent payments to a halt on the company’s office spaces globally. Musk reportedly further told employees to cease payments to company vendors to further cut costs following his acquisition of the company at $44 billion. 

The complaint was filed last week in California Superior Court in San Francisco, and alleged that the company missed a payment of $136,260 for the California Street office’s rent. Consequently, the landlord provided Twitter with a notice on December 16th, allowing five business days for payment until falling into default. 

The complaint requests that the court force the company to pay for its unpaid rent, interest on rent, and the landlord’s legal fees. Complainant, Columbia REIT – 650 California, LLC, oversees various properties across New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, DC. 

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Real estate attorney, Daniel Bornstein, represents property owners in tenant-landlord disputes, and stated that such a complaint could be the first of many if other financial obligations of the company are foregone at Musk’s discretion. However, some property owners might not be keen to push Musk, given his global status and class. The company proves to be a profitable renter, regardless of whether payments are on-time or forced. Unfortunately, landlords face the risk of abandonment of the rented spaces if they push the Twitter owner too far, which could result in an extended vacancy that would cost more than the pushing is worth. 

Addressing the previous week’s complaints, Bornstein notes that Columbia chose not to ask the court to evict Twitter, although the complainant maintained the option to do so. Such a move suggests that the landlord still finds value in renting their property out to Twitter. “What Elon may be doing by not paying the rent is signaling that he is actually interested in renegotiation of the terms of the lease agreement,” Bornstein said.

Professor of Law at the University of Richmond, Carl Tobias, explained the lawsuit reflects natural consequences of the Twitter owner’s withholding of payment. “The litigation is a normal and expected action to occur when a tenant has a lease and does not pay rent required by a valid contract with the landlord,” Tobias said. “These types of disputes often settle without provoking litigation, so as to avoid litigation costs and bad publicity.” 

He further added that it would be expected of a landlord in this situation to seek further payment than unpaid rent, such as legal fees and interest, when all resources to seek payment have been exhausted.

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