Platform X, Wins Cancellation Part Of Copyright Lawsuit
JAKARTA - X, a social media platform owned by Elon Musk, on Tuesday 5 March won the cancellation of part of a lawsuit by 17 music publishers accusing him of copyright infringement of nearly 1,700 songs by allowing users to post music online without permission.
US District Court Judge Aleta Trauger in Nashville, Tennessee said publishers could not demand a "comprehensive general responsibility for the violation" of X, which Musk bought in October 2022.
He rejected two claims of violation, and rejected the third claim for "contributive" violations except for allegations that X did not properly monitor "verified" users and repeat offenders, and failed to act on the removal notice sufficiently quickly.
Lawyers for publishers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alex Spiro, a lawyer for X, declined to comment.
Sony Music, Universal Music, and other members of the National Music Publishers' Association trade association sued X last June, demanding more than $250 million in losses.
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They accuse X of routinely ignoring and encouraging copyright infringement, giving him profits over platforms such as Meta Platforms, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok that have a sound music license.
Publishers have also said the problem got worse since Musk bought Twitter.
However, in a 21-page decision, Trauger said X was not responsible for direct offenses, reflecting differences in federal copyright law between active participants in violations, and parties like X that only provided a platform for him.