Sony Music Lawsuit Against USC
Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has initiated legal action against the University of South California (USC), alleging that the institution has systematically and knowingly utilized copyrighted music without authorization in its social media posts.
In the lawsuit submitted to the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, SME’s legal representatives provided evidence of 283 posts on social networks from USC’s accounts that incorporated 170 songs owned by Sony, which have been claimed as unauthorized usages.
“Sony Music believes that discovery will uncover a significantly greater extent of unauthorized use of Sony Music recordings on USC’s social media pages,” states the complaint that can be read here.
Details of the Complaint
Among the songs cited in the lawsuit are Give Me More by Britney Spears, Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé, Beat It by Michael Jackson, Back in Black by AC/DC, Yeah! by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, As It Was by Harry Styles, and All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey.
“USC has also utilized Sony Music tracks shortly after their release while they are at the top of the charts,” the complaint asserts.
“How It Is by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar was an instant hit upon its release in late March 2024, debuting at number 1 on Billboard Hot 100; within just a few days, USC had used the newly released hit without permission as the complete soundtrack for multiple videos across their social media platforms for a minimum of three different sports.”
The lawsuit characterizes USC as a commercial entity, noting that the institution generated over $7 billion in operational revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, with reported $212 million in sports revenue for the 2022-2023 academic year.
“USC’s sports programs exhibit distinct features of a commercial enterprise. The USC football coach, Lincoln Riley, received over $19 million in the 2023 fiscal year, ranking among the highest-paid college football coaches in the nation,” the complaint states.
“The USC football program amassed tremendous digital engagement, generating nearly 21 million video views on social networks just in September 2024.”
The lawsuit seeks damages of $150,000 for each violation—the maximum allowable under U.S. copyright law—or alternatively, actual damages incurred by Sony Music and any profits made by USC related to the infringement.
The total potential damages based on the 283 violations could amount to $42.45 million.
The complaint mentions that Sony had notified the University of its unauthorized use of music in June 2021, as well as again in January 2023 and July 2024.
“Instead of ceasing this infringing behavior, USC chose to disregard copyright law, consistently posting new videos on their social media without permission, all of which utilized Sony Music tracks,” the complaint alleges.
“USC even allowed many of these videos to remain available online after being notified by Sony Music of their violations.”
The complaint references a social media management document issued by USC, which states that “all music is protected by copyright, meaning you must secure the appropriate licenses before using it in your video.”
“In defiance of this clear guidance, USC proceeded to disseminate hundreds of videos (if not more) containing Sony Music recordings,” wrote Sony’s attorneys.
“Instead of stopping this violating behavior, the USC decided to flaunt the copyright law, repeatedly publishing new videos on the pages of USC’s social networks, consciously, intentionally, and without permission using Sony Music sound recordings.”
Sony Music in a complaint against the University of South California
The unapproved use of music in social media posts has become a central issue for Sony Music and other recording labels.
In 2024, Sony filed a lawsuit against Marriott, accusing the hotel chain of “outrageous” usage of its music in social media posts without authorization. The lawsuit was settled in October.
Music production house APM, co-owned by Sony and Universal Music Group (UMG), initiated legal action against Johnson & Johnson last fall, claiming the pharmaceutical giant used its music without permission in videos on Facebook and YouTube.
APM also sued the American Hockey League last year, alleging unauthorized use of its music in social media posts.
Additionally, UMG filed a lawsuit against Brinker International—the parent company of the Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chili’s—claiming the company failed to compensate for music used as a soundtrack for social media advertising across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Last year, multiple music publishers also filed a lawsuit against 14 NBA teams for alleged unauthorized use of music in advertising videos shared on their social media accounts.
Sony Music sues University of Southern California over music used in social media posts
