Court filings seek dismissal with prejudice of the dispute involving Universal Music Group, Sony Music and 17 publishers over unlicensed songs on the social-media platform.
X Corp and a group of major music publishers, including Universal Music Group and Sony Music, have asked federal courts to dismiss their competing lawsuits, signaling an end to a closely watched fight over music licensing on the social-media platform. The Tennessee case accused X of infringing hundreds of copyrights by letting users post songs without a license, while X's Texas countersuit alleged the publishers violated antitrust law by coordinating to block competition and demand inflated licensing rates. The dismissal requests were filed with prejudice, meaning the claims cannot be brought again. The publishers' 2023 Nashville lawsuit sought more than $250 million in damages tied to the alleged infringement of nearly 1,700 copyrights. X had already won a partial victory in 2024 when U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger dismissed the direct and vicarious copyright infringement claims, while allowing part of the contributory infringement claim to proceed. In January, X escalated the dispute with an antitrust case in Texas, arguing the publishers refused to negotiate individual licensing deals. Spokespeople for X, the labels and the National Music Publishers Association did not immediately comment, and the filings did not clarify whether the matter was formally settled.