Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the University of Southern California (USC), alleging the school repeatedly and willfully used unauthorized copyrighted music in its social media posts.
In a complaint filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, SME’s lawyers presented evidence of 283 social media posts from USC’s athletics social media accounts that used 170 Sony-owned songs, which the complaint says were unauthorized uses.
“Sony Music believes that discovery will reveal many more infringing uses of Sony Music’s sound recordings on the USC Social Media Pages,” states the complaint, which can be read in full here.
Among the songs cited in the complaint are Gimme More by Britney Spears, Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé, Beat It by Michael Jackson, Back in Black by AC/DC, Yeah! by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, As It Was by Harry Styles, and All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.
“USC also exploits Sony Music’s hit recordings when they have just been released and are at the top of the charts,” the complaint alleged.
“Like That by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar was an instant hit when it was released in late March 2024, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Within days, USC was using the newly-released hit without permission as the full soundtrack to multiple videos on USC Social Media Pages for at least three different sports.”
The complaint seeks to portray USC as a commercial enterprise, noting the school recorded more than $7 billion in operating revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and that it reported $212 million in athletic revenue for the 2022-2023 school year.
“USC’s sports programs bear the hallmarks of a commercial enterprise. USC’s football coach Lincoln Riley was paid more than $19 million in the 2023 fiscal year, one of the highest paid college football coaches in the nation,” the complaint states.
“USC’s football program led the nation in digital engagement, and amassed nearly 21 million video views across social media platforms in September 2024 alone.”
The complaint asks for statutory damages of $150,000 per infraction – the maximum allowed under US copyright law – “or, in the alternative, at Sony Music’s election, Sony Music’s actual damages and USC’s profits attributable to the infringement.”
The maximum statutory award for 283 infringements would be $42.45 million.
Sony’s complaint says the company informed the university of its unauthorized use of music as far back as June 2021, and again in January 2023 and July 2024.
“Rather than cease this infringing conduct, USC chose to flaunt copyright law, repeatedly posting new videos to the USC Social Media Pages that use Sony Music sound recordings knowingly and willfully and without permission,” Sony’s lawyers wrote.
“USC even left many uses available online after being put on notice from Sony Music that they were infringing.”
The complaint points to a social media guideline document issued by USC, which notes, among other things, that “all music is copyrighted which means prior to featuring it in your video, you must license it through the proper vendors and channels.”
“In flagrant disregard of this clear guidance, USC itself has distributed hundreds of videos (if not more) which contain infringing uses of Sony Music’s sound recordings,” Sony’s lawyers wrote.
“Rather than cease this infringing conduct, USC chose to flaunt copyright law, repeatedly posting new videos to the USC Social Media Pages that use Sony Music sound recordings knowingly and willfully and without permission.”
Sony Music, in a complaint against the University of Southern California
Businesses’ unauthorized use of music in social media posts has become a bone of contention for Sony Music and other record companies.
In 2024, Sony sued the Marriott hotel chain for what it called “rampant” use of its music in social media posts without permission. Sony and Marriot settled the lawsuit in October.
Production music house APM, which is jointly owned by Sony and Universal Music Group (UMG), sued Johnson & Johnson last fall, alleging that the pharma and medical tech giant used its music without permission in videos posted to Facebook and YouTube.
APM also sued the American Hockey League last year, alleging unauthorized use of its music in social media posts.
Also last year, UMG sued Brinker International – the owner of Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chili’s – claiming the company “failed to pay… for the music that serves as the soundtrack for Chili’s social media ads posted on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.”
Additionally, 14 NBA teams were sued by various music publishers last year over alleged unauthorized use of music in promotional videos posted to their social media accounts.Music ComeOn
