Sony Music, USC settle copyright lawsuit over social media posts

By Blake Brittain

March 26 (Reuters) - Sony Music 6758.T has reached a settlement in its lawsuit that accused the University of Southern California of featuring more than 170 of its songs without permission in videos promoting the school's athletics program, according to filings in Manhattan federal court.

Sony said in a filing on Wednesday that the case was resolved in principle and asked the court to dismiss it. Spokespeople for Sony did not immediately respond to requests for comment and more information on Thursday, and a USC spokesperson declined to comment.

Sony filed the lawsuit last year, citing 283 videos with songs from musicians including Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and AC/DC that USC's sports teams allegedly used in TikTok and Instagram posts without licenses. The music company said it had warned the Los Angeles university about its use of the label's music since 2021.

USC did not respond to the label's direct copyright infringement allegations, but convinced U.S. District Judge Gregory Woods to dismiss its secondary infringement claims in January.

Sony Music filed and settled a similar lawsuit against hotel chain Marriott in 2024.

The USC case is Sony Music Entertainment v. University of Southern California, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:25-cv-02042.

For Sony Music: Benjamin Semel and Kaveri Arora of Pryor Cashman

For USC: Richard Rochford, Jason Bloom and Joseph Lawlor of Haynes & Boone

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Sony Music sues University of Southern California over social media ads