Music industry legal news

Pandora accuses MLC of “abusing its position” as it pushes for summary judgement in royalties dispute

public

Pandora • 3 min read

Pandora accuses MLC of “abusing its position” as it pushes for summary judgement in royalties dispute

Pandora and The MLC have both submitted motions seeking summary judgements in their favour in an ongoing dispute over when the US streaming service should be paying mechanical royalties. Both submissions are forthright, with Pandora claiming that the MLC is “exploiting” and “abusing” its position…

Chris Cooke • 09 Feb 2026

EU regulators tell TikTok to make changes to its “addictive design”

public

TikTok • 1 min read

EU regulators tell TikTok to make changes to its “addictive design”

TikTok may be forced to make changes to its app in Europe after EU regulators said it had failed to “adequately assess” the negative impact of its “addictive design”. But TikTok says the European Commission has presented a “categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform”…

Chris Cooke • 09 Feb 2026

Chris Brown recorded ‘Sensational’ lyrics without paying the writer, claims lawsuit

public

Chris Brown • 2 min read

Chris Brown recorded ‘Sensational’ lyrics without paying the writer, claims lawsuit

A new lawsuit accuses Chris Brown of cutting a fellow artist who wrote lyrics for his tracks ‘Sensational’ and ‘Monalisa’ out of the rights and royalties stemming from those works. Steve Chokpelle wants the court to confirm his status as co-author and to order Brown to pay him millions in damages…

Chris Cooke • 05 Feb 2026

Adding “hot takes” to unlicensed music is not fair use, judge confirms in rockumentary copyright case

public

Universal Music • 2 min read

Adding “hot takes” to unlicensed music is not fair use, judge confirms in rockumentary copyright case

When British film-maker Robert Carruthers was sued for including uncleared music in documentaries he made about The Rolling Stones and Nirvana he employed the ‘fair use’ defence. But a US judge has ruled that adding a few ‘hot takes’ alongside the music doesn’t mean you can avoid getting licences…

Chris Cooke • 05 Feb 2026

Martin Shkreli sues Wu-Tang’s RZA in ongoing ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ battle

public

Wu-Tang Clan • 3 min read

Martin Shkreli sues Wu-Tang’s RZA in ongoing ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ battle

The legal battle over who owns rights in single-copy Wu-Tang album ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ has ramped up. The crypto collective that owns the single copy is locked in a legal battle with Martin Shkreli, the pharma bro who originally bought the album. Now Shkreli is pulling RZA into the dispute…

Chris Cooke • 04 Feb 2026

BOTS Act definitely applies to Ticketmaster in FTC case, insists senator who wrote the BOTS Act

public

Ticketmaster • 2 min read

BOTS Act definitely applies to Ticketmaster in FTC case, insists senator who wrote the BOTS Act

Last year the FTC accused Ticketmaster US of breaching the BOTS Act, the law that regulates how American touts access tickets to resell. The ticketing company insists that the BOTS Act does not apply to its operations, but one of the senators who wrote the act has told the court it definitely does…

Chris Cooke • 03 Feb 2026

Charlie Puth got musician to provide vocals for ‘Furious 7’ track, then Warner cheated him out rights and royalties, says lawsuit

public

Jake Broido • 2 min read

Charlie Puth got musician to provide vocals for ‘Furious 7’ track, then Warner cheated him out rights and royalties, says lawsuit

A musician who performed backing vocals on Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth song ‘See You Again’ has sued Warner, accusing the label of depriving him of rights and royalties he is due from it. Jake Broido was working in Warner’s offices when Puth invited him into the studio to work on the track…

Chris Cooke • 02 Feb 2026

Music publishers file new Anthropic lawsuit, adding in piracy claims and $3 billion mega-damages

public

Anthropic • 3 min read

Music publishers file new Anthropic lawsuit, adding in piracy claims and $3 billion mega-damages

Last year a US court declined to allow music publishers that are suing AI company Anthropic to add extra piracy claims to their lawsuit. Knowing those claims strengthen their case, given recent legal precedent, the publishers have now filed a brand new lawsuit, that also seeks $3 billion in damages…

Chris Cooke • 29 Jan 2026

Yet more K-pop legal drama as Ador founder hits back at contract tampering claims, and agency sues one of NewJeans

public

Hybe • 3 min read

Yet more K-pop legal drama as Ador founder hits back at contract tampering claims, and agency sues one of NewJeans

After trying to quit HYBE’s Ador label, K-pop group NewJeans last year agreed to carry on working with the company. But then the label announced it was axing and suing one member, while also accusing Ador founder Min Hee-jin of contract tampering, something she denied at a press conference today…

Chris Cooke • 28 Jan 2026

Meta dropped songs from Reels library to bully Wixen into accepting lower royalty rates, says lawsuit

public

Meta • 2 min read

Meta dropped songs from Reels library to bully Wixen into accepting lower royalty rates, says lawsuit

Wixen has accused Meta of employing “unscrupulous” tactics to pressure the publisher into accepting much lower royalty rates. It claims Meta removed Wixen songs from its Reels library and lied to the artists behind those tracks in a bid to put pressure on the publisher during licensing negotiations…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jan 2026

Chad Hugo sues Pharrell Williams in dispute over Neptunes and NERD companies

public

Pharrell Williams • 3 min read

Chad Hugo sues Pharrell Williams in dispute over Neptunes and NERD companies

Chad Hugo has sued Pharrell Williams in a dispute over the running of two companies the Neptunes duo co-own. Williams manages the companies day-to-day and, Hugo claims, has failed to provide proper financial reporting and to pay him all the money he is due. Williams says the lawsuit is “premature”…

Chris Cooke • 26 Jan 2026

Dismissal of Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation claim sets “dangerous” precedent, says Drake

public

Drake • 2 min read

Dismissal of Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation claim sets “dangerous” precedent, says Drake

Drake has filed an appeal in his defamation legal battle with Universal Music over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’. A judge dismissed Drake’s lawsuit last year concluding lyrics in a rap diss track do not constitute ‘statements of fact’. Drake’s lawyers argue that that has set a “dangerous” precedent…

Chris Cooke • 23 Jan 2026

Music industry legal news coverage