Associated Production Music (APM) has filed a copyright lawsuit against the American Hockey League (AHL) and several of its teams for alleged unauthorized use of music in promotional videos across social media platforms.

The lawsuit alleges "rampant infringement" of APM's protected works on team-specific social media channels, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter/X. APM claims the AHL has refused to obtain proper licenses or acknowledge wrongdoing.

Key points of the lawsuit:

• Seeks relief for direct, contributory, and vicarious infringement
• Multiple works listed in the suit were used without authorization
• Some infringing content has been removed, while other videos remain online
• Covers various platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter/X

This action follows a series of similar lawsuits targeting unauthorized music usage on social media:

• APM's recent lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson
• Kobalt and Prescription Songs' action against NBA teams (July 2024)
• Sony Music's lawsuit against Marriott (May 2024)
• Beastie Boys' complaint against Chili's parent company (July 2024)

The trend of music rights enforcement continues to grow, with previous cases including:

• Major labels' suits against Bang Energy (2022)
• Sony Music's ongoing legal action against OFRA Cosmetics (2023)

The AHL has not responded to requests for comment. This case highlights the ongoing challenge of proper music licensing for commercial use on social media platforms, where personal-use licenses don't cover business applications.

Related Articles

Previous Articles