Elon Musk-owned social media platform X has launched a major antitrust lawsuit against the world’s largest music publishers and their trade association, alleging that they abused their market dominance to pressure the company into purchasing music licenses it says are not legally required.
In a complaint filed in federal court on Friday, X named publishing arms of Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, along with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), as defendants. The platform alleges that the publishers collectively control nearly 90% of the US music publishing market and used that dominance to mount a coordinated pressure campaign against X.
According to the lawsuit, the publishers acted in concert rather than competing individually, forcing X into negotiations for industry-wide “blanket” licenses. X argues that such coordination violates US antitrust laws and undermines fair market competition.
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Allegations of Coordinated DMCA Takedown Threats
At the centre of the allegations is NMPA president and CEO David Israelite, whom X accuses of orchestrating the strategy. The company claims Israelite warned that if X did not agree to a blanket licensing deal, it would face an unprecedented wave of takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
X’s lawyers allege that copyright enforcement was “weaponised” to compel compliance. They argue that the strategy harmed not only the platform but also users and the broader digital ecosystem by disrupting lawful content sharing.
According to X, when it refused to accept the proposed terms, the NMPA and associated publishers carried out their threats. The company claims that more than 200,000 DMCA takedown notices were sent in a single year, many of them targeting posts that were not subject to legitimate copyright claims. X says the volume and frequency of the notices created continuous legal and operational strain.
Music Industry Fires Back
Israelite strongly denied the allegations, calling X’s lawsuit “baseless” and a deliberate attempt to distract from what he described as years of copyright infringement on the platform.
“X is the only major social media platform that does not license music,” Israelite said in a statement. “Publishers and songwriters have every right to protect their work. This lawsuit is a bad-faith effort to avoid accountability for illegal use of copyrighted songs.”
Universal, Warner and Sony declined to issue official responses.
The new case intensifies a legal battle that has been unfolding for more than two years. In 2023, major music publishers sued X — then operating as Twitter — alleging widespread copyright infringement involving more than 1,700 songs by artists such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. That lawsuit seeks damages of up to $255 million and remains active after a federal judge refused to dismiss it.
While platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat have entered into direct music licensing agreements, X has taken a different approach. The company relies on the DMCA’s “safe harbour” provisions, which protect digital platforms from liability for user-uploaded content as long as infringing material is removed promptly after notice.
X maintains that music licensing is a business decision, not a legal obligation.
“A platform does not need to license every copyrighted musical work that users may post,” the lawsuit states. “X has implemented a robust DMCA compliance programme and is entitled to rely on statutory safe-harbour protections.”
The complaint further alleges that publishers refused to negotiate individually and instead acted collectively through the NMPA — conduct X characterises as a “concerted refusal to deal,” a recognised violation under antitrust law.
In addition to the three major publishers, X has also named several prominent independent publishers as defendants, including Concord Music, Downtown Music, Kobalt Music, Reservoir Music and Wixen Music.
Legal analysts say the case could have far-reaching implications for how social media platforms manage copyrighted content and how far rights holders can go in coordinating enforcement efforts. A ruling in X’s favour could challenge the prevailing licensing-first model adopted by most major platforms.
For now, the lawsuit opens another significant legal front for Musk’s X, as it seeks to redefine its obligations in an online environment where licensed music has become standard practice.
The music industry, however, remains firm in its stance: regardless of the platform, creators must be paid for the use of their work.
About the author – Ayesha Aayat is a law student and contributor covering cybercrime, online frauds, and digital safety concerns. Her writing aims to raise awareness about evolving cyber threats and legal responses.
