The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has filed a lawsuit against Twitter, seeking damages of $150,000 for each of the approximately 1,700 songs it claims have been infringed upon. The allegations made in the lawsuit are strong, with the NMPA stating that “Twitter knows perfectly well that neither it nor users of the Twitter platform have secured licenses for the rampant use of music being made on its platform.” Alongside the monetary damages, the NMPA is also asking the court to immediately stop Twitter’s copyright-infringing activities.

It is worth noting that the NMPA asserts that it has sent formal notices regarding copyright infringement to Twitter since 2021, resulting in over 300,000 tweets being flagged for violating copyright laws. Additionally, other copyright holders have reportedly sent hundreds of thousands of similar notices to Twitter. However, the lawsuit alleges that Twitter consistently disregards known repeat infringers and the infringements themselves.

The lawsuit accuses Twitter of failing to take action by removing the problematic content or preventing public access to it. According to the lawsuit, “Twitter views itself, not the law, as the arbiter of what content is permitted on the Twitter platform.” At the time of writing, neither Twitter nor its new CEO Linda Yaccarino has made a statement regarding the matter. This lawsuit deals a significant blow to Twitter, especially considering the cost-cutting measures it has implemented recently – including laying off two-thirds of its workforce – in its pursuit of profitability. Furthermore, it sets a potentially detrimental precedent for Elon Musk’s ambitions of transforming Twitter into a creative content hub.