Sony Music sues College of Southern California over music utilized in social media posts

Sony Music Leisure (SME) has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in opposition to the College of Southern California (USC), alleging the varsity repeatedly and willfully used unauthorized copyrighted music in its social media posts.

In a grievance filed on the US District Courtroom for the Southern District of New York, SME’s legal professionals introduced proof of 283 social media posts from USC’s athletics social media accounts that used 170 Sony-owned songs, which the grievance says have been unauthorized makes use of.

“Sony Music believes that discovery will reveal many extra infringing makes use of of Sony Music’s sound recordings on the USC Social Media Pages,” states the grievance, which will be learn in full right here.

Among the many songs cited within the grievance are Gimme Extra by Britney Spears, Run the World (Ladies) by Beyoncé, Beat It by Michael Jackson, Again in Black by AC/DC, Yeah! by Usher that includes Lil Jon and Ludacris, As It Was by Harry Types, and All I Need for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.

“USC additionally exploits Sony Music’s hit recordings once they have simply been launched and are on the prime of the charts,” the grievance alleged.

“Like That by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar was an immediate hit when it was launched in late March 2024, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Scorching 100. Inside days, USC was utilizing the newly-released hit with out permission as the total soundtrack to a number of movies on USC Social Media Pages for not less than three totally different sports activities.”

The grievance seeks to painting USC as a industrial enterprise, noting the varsity recorded greater than $7 billion in working revenues for the fiscal 12 months ended June 30, 2024, and that it reported $212 million in athletic income for the 2022-2023 faculty 12 months.

“USC’s sports activities packages bear the hallmarks of a industrial enterprise. USC’s soccer coach Lincoln Riley was paid greater than $19 million within the 2023 fiscal 12 months, one of many highest paid faculty soccer coaches within the nation,” the grievance states.

“USC’s soccer program led the nation in digital engagement, and amassed almost 21 million video views throughout social media platforms in September 2024 alone.”

The grievance asks for statutory damages of $150,000 per infraction – the utmost allowed underneath US copyright legislation – “or, within the various, at Sony Music’s election, Sony Music’s precise damages and USC’s income attributable to the infringement.”

The utmost statutory award for 283 infringements could be $42.45 million.

Sony’s grievance says the corporate knowledgeable the college of its unauthorized use of music way back to June 2021, and once more in January 2023 and July 2024.

“Quite than stop this infringing conduct, USC selected to flaunt copyright legislation, repeatedly posting new movies to the USC Social Media Pages that use Sony Music sound recordings knowingly and willfully and with out permission,” Sony’s legal professionals wrote.

“USC even left many makes use of accessible on-line after being placed on discover from Sony Music that they have been infringing.”

The grievance factors to a social media guideline doc issued by USC, which notes, amongst different issues, that “all music is copyrighted which implies previous to that includes it in your video, you could license it via the correct distributors and channels.”

“In flagrant disregard of this clear steering, USC itself has distributed tons of of movies (if no more) which include infringing makes use of of Sony Music’s sound recordings,” Sony’s legal professionals wrote.

“Quite than stop this infringing conduct, USC selected to flaunt copyright legislation, repeatedly posting new movies to the USC Social Media Pages that use Sony Music sound recordings knowingly and willfully and with out permission.”

Sony Music, in a grievance in opposition to the College of Southern California

Companies’ unauthorized use of music in social media posts has develop into a bone of rivalry for Sony Music and different document corporations.

In 2024, Sony sued the Marriott lodge chain for what it referred to as “rampant” use of its music in social media posts with out permission. Sony and Marriot settled the lawsuit in October.

Manufacturing music home APM, which is collectively owned by Sony and Common Music Group (UMG), sued Johnson & Johnson final fall, alleging that the pharma and medical tech big used its music with out permission in movies posted to Fb and YouTube.

APM additionally sued the American Hockey League final 12 months, alleging unauthorized use of its music in social media posts.

Additionally final 12 months, UMG sued Brinker Worldwide – the proprietor of Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chili’s – claiming the corporate “did not pay… for the music that serves because the soundtrack for Chili’s social media advertisements posted on Fb, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.”

Moreover, 14 NBA groups have been sued by numerous music publishers final 12 months over alleged unauthorized use of music in promotional movies posted to their social media accounts.Music Enterprise Worldwide