The social media giant Twitter is in the middle of a legal dispute with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), an organization representing music publishers in the United States.
The demand
The NMPA has sued Twitter alleging that the social platform takes advantage of thousands of illegal copies of musical compositions, thus infringing exclusive rights under copyright laws. According to the plaintiffs, multiple copyright infringement notices have been issued to Twitter for around 1,700 songs. The organization asks the court to fine Twitter up to $150,000 for each violation.
Elon Musk at the center of the problem
The matter goes back to before Elon Musk acquired Twitter, but talks for a music licensing deal appear to have stalled after Musk’s takeover. The billionaire’s comments are also in the spotlight. In his Twitter posts, Musk has criticized the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a US legislation intended to protect copyright in the digital world.
Other platforms and their agreements
While Twitter is in the middle of this legal conflict, other important social platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat they have already struck deals with music publishers and record labels. This adds additional pressure on Twitter to resolve its copyright issues.
While the lawsuit poses significant challenges for Twitter, it also provides an opportunity to rethink its approach to copyright and its relationship with copyright holders. Twitter’s business model relies on user-generated content and interaction. As such, resolving this conflict will require a balance between protecting copyright and maintaining freedom of expression and creativity on the platform.
Of course, expanding the space for Twitter Blue so much does not help with the issue, since there are many people uploading movies and other content protected by copyright, although it is all a matter of moderating and creating tools that filter that content, just as they do in Youtube, for example.
