Sony Music Sues Triller, Alleging Copyright Infringement and Breach of Contract

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Sony Music Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Triller, seeking millions of dollars in damages after the video-sharing app allegedly stopped paying licensing fees in March 2022.

According to the suit, filed Monday in New York federal court, Triller continued to allow Sony Music songs to be shared on the app even after the music company terminated their deal. “Despite extolling the importance and value of ‘innovative technology and intellectual property,’ and claiming to hope that its efforts to curb copyright infringement ‘will set a precedent for us and all content creators going forward that stealing is not going to be tolerated,’ Triller displays brazen contempt for the intellectual property rights of Sony Music, its artists, and others,” Sony Music said in the lawsuit.

Triller did not respond to a request for comment. Sony Music’s lawsuit comes after Triller was sued earlier this month by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, who alleged Triller owes them $28 million in payments from the app company’s acquisition of Verzuz, their livestreaming rap-battle show.

Triller first entered into a content distribution agreement with Sony Music in September 2016. “While Triller had historically failed to make payments in a timely manner under the Agreement, its failures recently escalated,” Sony Music alleged in the lawsuit.