Music Publishers and X May Be Close to Settling $250M Copyright Lawsuit
A massive copyright infringement lawsuit against social media platform X (formerly Twitter) may soon come to a close, as both sides have indicated a willingness to resolve the matter outside the courtroom.
According to new federal court filings, the lawsuit — which was filed in June 2023 by a coalition of major music publishers including Universal Music Publishing, Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell, Concord, BMG, and Kobalt — could be headed for settlement talks. The $250 million suit accused X of widespread copyright violations, claiming the platform had refused to obtain licenses for millions of songs regularly shared and streamed on the site.
“The intent of the stay is to discuss with X the resolution of the suit and proper compensation to songwriters and publishers for past unlicensed uses, while providing an opportunity for go-forward licensing,” a spokesperson for the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) said in a statement Monday.
The suit originally accused X of being the last major social media platform that had not entered into licensing agreements for music. The plaintiffs claimed that X knowingly allowed copyrighted songs to be shared, streamed, and promoted without any formal agreements in place, creating massive losses for songwriters and music publishers.
At the time the lawsuit was filed, NMPA President and CEO David Israelite called out the platform’s non-compliance: “Twitter stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service. Twitter knows full well that music is leaked, launched, and streamed by billions of people every day on its platform.”
Although a federal judge dismissed some of the claims last year, the case moved forward with several key accusations intact. These include claims that X gave special treatment to verified users by enforcing copyright rules more leniently, failed to process takedown notices promptly, and did not take sufficient action against repeat copyright offenders.
Now, with both sides showing a willingness to settle, the legal proceedings have been temporarily paused. On June 6, X and the group of publishers filed a joint motion to stay the lawsuit, expressing their intention to engage in good-faith negotiations. Judge Aleta Trauger approved the motion on June 11, giving both parties 90 days to work out a deal. If progress continues but an agreement isn’t reached in that time, they may request an extension.
The original litigation schedule set a discovery deadline for July 17, 2025, with expert reports and depositions scheduled well before then. In their joint motion, the parties acknowledged that the complex and ongoing nature of these proceedings — including pending depositions and potential disputes — could get in the way of settlement talks.
A representative for X did not immediately respond to media inquiries, and no details have yet emerged about what a potential licensing or compensation deal might look like.
Still, this pause signals a meaningful shift in tone, and could result in a landmark agreement that finally brings X in line with industry standards for music licensing and artist compensation.