X and Music Publishers Settle Three-Year Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

A three-years-long legal battle between X and major music publishers has quietly come to an end. In court documents filed by both X and a group of music publishers, both sides opted to dismiss their opposing lawsuits while not disclosing the terms of the settlement (via Reuters).

The feud began in 2023 when a group of music publishers led by the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) sued the social media platform, which was still known as Twitter at the time. The $250 million lawsuit claimed that Twitter allowed for rampant cases of copyright infringement from its users, while also not doing anything to stop it. Notably, Twitter was one of the only major social media platforms that didn't have a licensing agreement with music publishers.

In response, Twitter, now known as X, countered with its own lawsuit nearly three years later, claiming that these music publishers engaged in anticompetitive practices that would force the platform to license their songs for higher rates. Even before the latest agreement to dismiss both suits, X requested as recently as last month that the court dismiss the case claiming it shouldn't be held responsible for user piracy.

So far, neither side has offered any explanation for the dismissals. However, court documents show that X and the music publishers requested to dismiss both suits "with prejudice," so that they're permanently dismissed and won't be refiled. We've reached out to NMPA for comment and will update the story if we hear back.