Music Publishers Sue Twitter for $250 Million Over Copyright Infringement

Twitter is being sued for at least $250 million by Universal, Sony, Warner, and other publishers for allegedly hosting and streaming infringing copies of music compositions without proper licensing. Twitter is the only major social media platform without music licensing deals, which has allowed it to monetize tweets and users via advertising, subscriptions, and data licensing. The publishers claim that Twitter has profited off of the infringement by posting a "promoted" tweet directly below the post and recommending a paid "promoted" account directly to its right. The suit seeks $150,000 for each infringed work and claims direct copyright infringement, contributory infringement, and vicarious infringement.