X Corp and the music labels requested a Tennessee federal court on Thursday to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the labels, which claimed X infringed on hundreds of their copyrights by permitting users to share their songs without a license. They also sought to have a Texas federal court dismiss a countersuit from X that alleged the labels were conspiring to hinder competition and pressuring the platform to license their music at inflated prices.
Representatives from X Corp, the labels, and their trade organization, the National Music Publishers Association, did not respond right away to inquiries for comments and additional details, such as whether the dispute has been resolved. The filings requested that the courts dismiss the claims with prejudice, indicating they cannot be refiled.
In 2023, a group of 17 music publishers brought a lawsuit against X in Nashville, Tennessee, seeking over $250 million in damages for the alleged infringement of nearly 1,700 copyrights. The lawsuit alleged that X “routinely overlooks” users’ copyright violations and noted that other major platforms, such as TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, appropriately license music from the publishers.
X successfully persuaded the court to dismiss a significant portion of the lawsuit in 2024. U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger ruled that X could not be held responsible for direct or vicarious copyright infringement, although she allowed part of the labels’ claim of contributory infringement to proceed.
In January, X countered by suing the publishers in Texas, accusing them of breaching federal antitrust laws by refusing to engage in discussions for individual licensing agreements. The publishers informed the court in April that they believed the case should be dismissed.
