Elon Musk’s X (Formerly Twitter) Sues 18 Music Publishers, NMPA in Latest Move in Licensing Dispute

Elon Musk's X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, has initiated an antitrust lawsuit against a group of prominent music publishers and their main trade body. Filed in federal court, the Friday complaint names approximately 18 publishers alongside the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), alleging they engaged in unlawful coordination. X claims the coalition exploited its combined influence to force the platform into accepting costly, standardized licensing agreements, effectively preventing it from securing better terms through individual negotiations. The company seeks to have this alleged arrangement declared illegal and is pursuing financial compensation.

The legal action targets the industry's three dominant forces: Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, and Warner Chappell Music. These entities collectively administer rights to a vast portion of the global music catalog, making their participation crucial for any service that allows users to upload videos. X's filing argues the NMPA and its members "conspired to leverage their combined market power" to impose blanket licenses at inflated, non-competitive prices. This lawsuit represents a significant intensification of a protracted conflict over music usage on X, which has notably failed to secure the comprehensive licenses common among its competitors like Meta and YouTube.

This new case follows a copyright infringement lawsuit the NMPA itself brought against X in 2023. Although both parties indicated "very substantial progress" toward a settlement last November, those talks ultimately broke down. Responding to the antitrust suit, NMPA President and CEO David Israelite countered, "X/Twitter remains the sole major social media platform operating without proper song licenses." He characterized the legal move as a "bad faith effort to divert attention" from what the association claims are years of unauthorized use. The NMPA, established over a century ago in 1917, is the leading U.S. trade group for music publishers and has a storied record of vigorously defending copyrights in the digital space, from early file-sharing battles to current streaming disputes.

The confrontation reflects a recurring dynamic in digital media, where emerging platforms often operate without formal licenses until legal action compels compliance. Services including TikTok, Twitch, and the beleaguered app Triller have all weathered similar litigation, usually culminating in licensing deals. As media and technology analyst Clara Vance noted, "The music industry's strategy is a proven one: use legal pressure to force disruptive tech companies into licensing frameworks. What makes this case pivotal is X's attempt to flip the script by wielding antitrust law as a defensive weapon, potentially reshaping the leverage in these negotiations." The precedent set here could redefine the financial and legal groundwork for user-generated content features across social media.

For X, this litigation adds another layer of difficulty amidst ongoing struggles with content moderation and advertiser retention. The platform's core user experience is directly at stake; lacking proper licenses forces it to proactively mute or delete videos containing copyrighted music. This process can suppress the very organic, music-driven content that often fuels viral engagement and growth. Consequently, X operates at a distinct disadvantage against fully licensed rivals, impacting its ability to compete for both users and creators. The court's decision will therefore carry implications that extend beyond legal liability, fundamentally affecting the platform's product functionality and its standing in the competitive social media landscape.