Sony Music Sues Triller Over Missed Royalty Payments
The major label says the platform continued to use its catalog after it terminated their licensing agreement. It follows Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s lawsuit over the Verzuz acquisition.
Earlier this month, Sony Music Entertainment withdrew the rights to its catalog from the shortform video app Triller, claiming the company owed millions in royalty payments. Now, the major label is suing the platform for copyright infringement and breach of contract, saying Triller failed to heed their licensing agreement’s termination, as Billboard reports. Sony accused the label of “brazen contempt” for its intellectual property rights, and of failing to pay any royalties since March this year. The label is seeking unspecified compensatory and statutory damages, an order to stop Triller infringing its copyrights, and a declaration that Triller deliberately infringed copyright.
When contacted by Pitchfork, a representative for Sony Music Entertainment offered no additional comment. Pitchfork has also reached out to representatives for Triller.
Sony’s clampdown follows a lawsuit Swizz Beatz and Timbaland filed earlier this month, claiming the company still owed them $28 million after buying Verzuz. In 2021, Universal Music Group pulled its music from the platform due to a royalty dispute that was resolved a few months later.