NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Fourteen NBA teams face lawsuits for allegedly using copyrighted music without permission in promotional videos posted on their social media channels and the official NBA.com website. The lawsuits, filed by Kobalt Music Publishing, Artist Publishing Group, and others, target some of the top teams of the 2023-2024 season, including the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The other teams involved are the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs. The lawsuits, filed on July 18 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, claim that the teams did not obtain the necessary licenses or authorization to use the copyrighted music in their videos.
The lawsuits highlight that the publisher plaintiffs vary depending on the songs involved, but all complaints feature Kobalt Music Publishing as the exclusive licensing agent. Artist Publishing Group is a plaintiff in all the lawsuits except the one against the Miami Heat.
The legal complaints argue that the NBA teams are fully aware of US copyright laws and utilize these protections for their intellectual property while infringing on the plaintiffs’ rights. The complaint against the New York Knicks lists 23 allegedly infringed tracks, including Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” and Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.” The Orlando Magic’s complaint lists 37 tracks, such as Major Lazer’s “Lean On” and Shaquille O’Neal’s “(I Know I Got) Skillz.” The Cleveland Cavaliers are accused of infringing 16 songs, including the 3LAU remix of Ariana Grande’s “Into You,” while the Indiana Pacers allegedly infringed one track, Austin Mahone’s “Mmm Yeah” featuring Pitbull.
As of July 22, many videos listed in the lawsuits were no longer available on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and NBA.com. The lawsuits seek up to $150,000 per violation for direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement, potentially leading to millions in damages for the NBA teams involved.
These lawsuits come amid a surge in copyright infringement actions from major music industry players. Recently, Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group sued companies behind AI music generators for training on copyrighted music without permission. The music industry has also seen lawsuits against companies like Gymshark and Marriott International for similar copyright infringements in social media posts.
