THE BIG STORY: For a while, it looked like the music publishers and Elon Musk’s X might reach a settlement to resolve their long-running copyright dispute over songs on the site – the last major social media platform that doesn’t pay for music. For several months last year, the case was paused while the two sides worked on hammering out a potential deal.
Well, you can forget about that now.
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In a scathing legal counterpunch last week, X sued the National Music Publishers’ Association and a slew of publishers over allegations that they teamed up illegally to force the platform to pay for a blanket music license. The case claims the publishers “weaponized” takedown requests, and takes personal aim at NMPA boss David Israelite.
For all the details — including the full industry context, access to the actual lawsuit and Israelite’s response statement, go read our entire story here.
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THE OTHER BIG STORY: A federal appeals court issued a first-of-its-kind ruling on copyright termination, the crucial provision that allows artists and songwriters to reclaim their music rights decades after they sold them away.
Historically, termination came with a big caveat: It only applied to your American rights. Publishers often continued to own foreign rights even after a U.S. termination, giving them potential veto power over cross-border projects and a big bargaining chip in negotiations.
But in a novel ruling this week, a federal appeals court said that’s not what Congress wanted for termination – a ruling that industry groups had warned would disrupt “a half-century of settled industry norms” but one that artist advocates are already hailing as “a massive win” and a “game-changer.” Go read all about the big decision here.
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Other top stories this week…
Bad Bunny was sued by a woman claiming her voice was sampled on two hit songs from the Puerto Rican megastar without permission, including one from his chart-topping 2025 Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
Cher wants Sonny Bono’s widow to repay the $1 million she allegedly spent on the elite lawyers who won a court ruling preserving her right to collect publishing royalties from Sonny & Cher catalog.
A federal judge sided with UMG and dismissed Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit seeking to retake control of the iconic hip-hop duo’s master recordings via copyright law’s termination right.
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Fetty Wap was released from prison after serving three years behind bars following his 2022 guilty plea on federal drug charges, a year earlier than his scheduled release date in December 2026.
Mary J. Blige won a ruling dismissing an “inflammatory” lawsuit filed by her former stylist Misa Hylton – and the judge warned Hylton she might face punishment for future “bad faith litigation tactics.”
Katy Perry was awarded a judgment of $1.94 million after more than five years of litigation with Texas millionaire Carl Wescott, the founder of 1800Flowers, over the sale of a mansion in Montecito, Calif.
Boosie Badazz was sentenced to no prison time following the rapper’s guilty plea on gun charges – a lighter sentence than his plea deal. “I’m blessed not to be in prison right now,” he said.
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Live Nation and Ticketmaster asked a judge to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit claiming the companies have enabled scalpers to jack up concert prices, calling the case “unprecedented.”
Muni Long filed a scathing countersuit against her former managers Chaka Zulu and Jeff Dixon, claiming they forced her into a mental health facility when she really needed medical treatment for lupus.
Antonio “L.A.” Reid reached a settlement with former Arista A&R Drew Dixon to end her sexual harassment and assault lawsuit against him, averting a jury trial on the morning that it was set to begin.
Ye (formerly Kanye West) is suing a contractor for placing a $1.8 million lien on the sale of the star’s $57 million beachfront mansion in Malibu amid a dispute over unpaid wages.
Lizzo inked a settlement to end a copyright lawsuit over her song “I’m Going Til October,” an unreleased track she teased on social media to poke fun at Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad controversy.
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A judge dismissed Chris Brown’s defamation case over a 2024 documentary chronicling domestic and sexual abuse allegations against him, ruling that it presented balanced journalism.
Maverick City Music fired back at Tony Brown over his exit from the Grammy-winning worship collective, accusing him in a new lawsuit of violating his non-compete by launching a new Christian music project.
Los Lobos filed a pair of lawsuits against Sony over royalties for songs the band recorded for two movies: The 1987 Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba and 1995 Antonio Banderas western Desperado.
Adam Levine reached a settlement to end a lawsuit over copyrighted storm footage he used in a well-meaning Instagram post that sought donations for victims of Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Christian pop singer Stacie Orrico filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually abused by her manager starting at age 14 and that the Christian music industry “disregarded signs of abuse.”
Steve Aoki is facing a class-action lawsuit over the DJ’s Instagram posts promoting the trading card and nonfungible token (NFT) company MetaZoo.
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