Spotify slapped with massive $1.6 billion lawsuit

Spotify is being sued by Wixen Music Publishing, with a $1.6 billion lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement.

@anthony256

Published Jan 2, 2018 11:31 PM CST
Updated Nov 3, 2020 11:53 AM CST

39 seconds read time

Spotify is ringing in the New Year with a gigantic $1.6 billion lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement, with Wixen Music Publishing representing artists like Tom Petty, Missy Elliot, Stevie Nicks, and Neil Young.

Spotify slapped with massive $1.6 billion lawsuit | TweakTown.com

The lawsuit was filed on December 29 and alleges that Spotify has infringed on copyright by using thousands of their songs without a proper license, with WMP seeking at least $1.6 billion in damages and injunctive relief. The lawsuit states that Spotify failed to "obtain the equivalent rights for the compositions".

The lawsuit continues, saying: "As a result, Spotify has built a billion dollar business on the backs of songwriters and publishers whose music Spotify is using, in many cases without obtaining and paying for the necessary licenses".

Wixen also alleges that the music streaming giant has "knowingly, intentionally, and repeatedly" over the internet to residents in California.

NEWS SOURCE:techcrunch.com

Anthony Garreffa

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering.