After settling several major lawsuits in 2017, Spotify faces another substantial legal hurdle to begin 2018.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wixen Music Publishing has filed a $1.6 billion copyright lawsuit against the Sweden-based streaming service. Wixen claims that Spotify has been using material from Tom Petty and the Doors, in addition to tens of thousands of other songs without a license and compensation. On top of monetary penalties, Spotify will also be required to “develop and implement procedures for identifying and properly licensing songs” if they lose the suit.
“Spotify brazenly disregards United States Copyright law and has committed willful, ongoing copyright infringement,” the complaint reads. “Wixen notified Spotify that it had neither obtained a direct or compulsory mechanical license for the use of the Works. For these reasons and the foregoing, Wixen is entitled to the maximum statutory relief.”
Spotify’s legal team has argued that Wixen’s contracts with songwriters don’t allow the company to pursue litigation on their behalf.
As the streaming service is repeatedly hit with lawsuits claiming “staggering” copyright infringement, however, it appears these lawsuits will continue to be massive hurdles in the way of their goals to dominate the streaming race.
Source: Pigeons & Planes
