Music industry legal news

Billion dollar piracy win for majors “defies common law and common sense” says Cox

public

Cox Communications • 3 min read

Billion dollar piracy win for majors “defies common law and common sense” says Cox

The US Supreme Court has agreed to review the long-running legal battle between ISP Cox and the major labels. Cox wants the top court to reverse the billion dollar ruling in that litigation and, in a new court filing, again claims that failing to do so will result in mass internet disconnections…

Chris Cooke • 01 Sep 2025

Court dismisses Dave Rowntree’s black box lawsuit against PRS

public

PRS For Music • 5 min read

Court dismisses Dave Rowntree’s black box lawsuit against PRS

A UK court has dismissed a class action lawsuit filed by Blur drummer Dave Rowntree against PRS over the collecting society’s black box distribution rules. PRS raised various issues with Rowntree’s ‘collective competition proceedings’, with judges ultimately granting its bid to strike the action…

Chris Cooke • 29 Aug 2025

Sony’s merch division seeks court order banning sale of Benson Boone knock-offs

public

Benson Boone • 2 min read

Sony’s merch division seeks court order banning sale of Benson Boone knock-offs

Benson Boone is on tour around the US and bootleggers are trying to sell knock off merch outside his shows. He works with Sony Music’s Ceremony Of Roses on his official merchandise, and it wants a court order banning the sale and ordering confiscation of all the knock offs…

Chris Cooke • 29 Aug 2025

Just three years after overhauling its top team, Sony Australia faces fresh accusations of a toxic workplace culture

public

Sony Music • 2 min read

Just three years after overhauling its top team, Sony Australia faces fresh accusations of a toxic workplace culture

Sony Music has responded to a newspaper report about its Australian division, which said employees had complained about a toxic workplace under CEO Vanessa Picken, who was hired after a previous scandal about the division’s corporate culture. The major says “we take all concerns very seriously”…

Chris Cooke • 28 Aug 2025

Anthropic settles legal dispute with authors - in a deal that could be influential in other AI copyright disputes

public

Anthropic • 3 min read

Anthropic settles legal dispute with authors - in a deal that could be influential in other AI copyright disputes

A settlement between Anthropic and a group of US authors could prove influential in the big debate over copyright and AI. A judge ruled that Anthropic’s use of books in its AI training was fair use unless it had pirated those books. Which it had. Which is why the AI company is now keen to settle…

Chris Cooke • 27 Aug 2025

Universal calls for Salt N Pepa lawsuit to be thrown out yet again

public

Salt N Pepa • 3 min read

Universal calls for Salt N Pepa lawsuit to be thrown out yet again

The legal battle between Salt N Pepa and Universal Music over the US termination right continues. The rappers filed an amended lawsuit earlier this month as they try to reclaim ownership of their 1980s recordings. The major says their legal claims are still deficient and should be dismissed…

Chris Cooke • 26 Aug 2025

Supertramp songwriter must continue to share publishing royalties with bandmates, US appeals court concludes

public

Supertramp • 2 min read

Supertramp songwriter must continue to share publishing royalties with bandmates, US appeals court concludes

Last year a US court ruled that Supertramp songwriter Roger Hodgson could cancel a 1977 agreement to share his publishing royalties with former bandmates. But an appeals court has overturned that ruling, stating that the agreement should stay in force until the Supertramp copyrights expire…

Chris Cooke • 22 Aug 2025

Kneecap thank fans who protested outside Westminster court yesterday as the “carnival of distraction rolls on”

public

Kneecap • 2 min read

Kneecap thank fans who protested outside Westminster court yesterday as the “carnival of distraction rolls on”

Kneecap’s Mo Chara was in court yesterday facing a terror offence charge over allegations he displayed a Hezbollah flag at a London show last year. His lawyers are trying to get the case thrown out on a timing technicality. Hundreds of fans showed up outside the court to support the rapper…

Chris Cooke • 21 Aug 2025

Suno says indie musician’s copyright claims about its AI’s output are bogus

public

Suno • 3 min read

Suno says indie musician’s copyright claims about its AI’s output are bogus

In June, independent artist Anthony Justice sued AI company Suno for copyright infringement, following the lead of the major labels. His lawsuit made copyright claims about Suno’s training data and the tracks it outputs. Suno says the claims relating to the outputs should be immediately dismissed…

Chris Cooke • 20 Aug 2025

FTC sues ticket touting business that claims it is endorsed by Ticketmaster

public

Secondary Ticketing • 2 min read

FTC sues ticket touting business that claims it is endorsed by Ticketmaster

The FTC has sued a ticket touting company that uses dubious tactics to access tickets, including using 49 Ticketmaster accounts to buy 273 tickets for one Taylor Swift show that had a six-tickets-per-person limit. However, the accused business says its tactics are authorised by Ticketmaster…

Chris Cooke • 19 Aug 2025

Drake’s claims are “farcical” says Lucian Grainge as defamation battle rumbles on

public

Drake • 4 min read

Drake’s claims are “farcical” says Lucian Grainge as defamation battle rumbles on

Lucian Grainge made his own declaration to the court last week as part of Drake’s defamation legal battle with Universal Music. The major’s CEO calls Drake’s claims about his role in releasing Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ “farcical”. The rapper is currently trying to get access to Grainge’s emails…

Chris Cooke • 18 Aug 2025

South Korea’s top court says viral hit ‘Baby Shark’ didn’t infringe copyright

public

Music industry legal news coverage • 2 min read

South Korea’s top court says viral hit ‘Baby Shark’ didn’t infringe copyright

A legal battle over the copyright in ‘Baby Shark’ is over. Although the annoying viral hit is based on a US folk song, an American musician said Pinkfong, the company behind the hit, had used his adaptation of it, which should be protected by copyright. But South Korea’s Supreme Court says it isn’t…

Chris Cooke • 14 Aug 2025