Elon Musk’s X Takes Music Publishers to Court Over Alleged Licensing “Collusion”

Elon Musk’s social platform X is escalating its long-running battle with the music industry. X Corp has filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against major music publishers and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), accusing them of coordinating mass copyright takedowns to pressure the company into costly licensing agreements. The complaint, filed January 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, frames the dispute as a test of whether collective copyright enforcement crosses the line into anticompetitive behavior.

A Coordinated DMCA Pressure Campaign

At the center of X’s allegations is a campaign of coordinated DMCA takedown notices that allegedly began in late 2021. According to the filing, the NMPA inundated the platform with hundreds of thousands of takedown requests, targeting content from creators and brands ranging from Logan Paul and BTS to the Kansas City Chiefs and ESPN FC. X claims the effort was designed to “coerce X into taking licenses to musical works from the industry as a whole,” rather than simply remove infringing material.

The lawsuit also cites an alleged October 2021 email from NMPA President and CEO David Israelite warning that takedowns would be launched “on a scale larger than any previous effort in DMCA history,” and that X could avoid the pressure “for a price.” X argues this strategy unfairly weaponized copyright enforcement to force a single, industrywide licensing deal.

Publishers Named in the Lawsuit

The defendants named in the complaint include Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing, Concord, Hipgnosis, and Downtown Music Publishing. X alleges these companies “colluded through NMPA in a concerted refusal to deal with X independently,” violating Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The company is seeking a permanent injunction, treble damages, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees.

The lawsuit follows years of legal tension between the parties, including a separate copyright infringement case filed by publishers in 2023 and settlement talks that appeared close to resolution in late 2025 before ultimately breaking down.

Why the Music Industry Pushes Back

Publishers strongly dispute X’s characterization of events. Israelite has called the lawsuit “a bad faith effort to distract from publishers’ and songwriters’ legitimate right to enforce against X’s illegal use of their songs.” From the industry’s perspective, X remains the only major social platform without comprehensive music licenses, while competitors like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and Roblox have all struck agreements.

Many publishers argue that coordinated negotiations through trade groups like the NMPA are standard practice in complex digital licensing markets, not evidence of collusion.

The case highlights a growing clash between technology platforms and rightsholders over licensing obligations, enforcement power, and market leverage. As courts evaluate whether coordinated copyright enforcement constitutes lawful cooperation or unlawful collusion, the outcome could reshape how music is licensed and policed across social platforms — with wide-ranging implications for platforms, publishers, and creators alike.