Associated Production Music (APM) has filed a copyright lawsuit against the American Hockey League (AHL) and several of its teams for allegedly using copyrighted music in promotional videos without proper authorization.

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

Key points of the lawsuit:

• APM seeks relief for direct, contributory, and vicarious infringement
• Multiple works are listed in the suit
• Several promotional videos were distributed across various social platforms
• Some allegedly infringing content has been removed, while other videos remain online

This legal action follows a pattern of similar copyright lawsuits targeting unauthorized social media usage, including:

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

The trend of music rightsholders pursuing legal action against unauthorized commercial use of their content continues to grow, particularly focusing on social media platforms where pre-licensed song libraries are intended for personal use only.

The American Hockey League has not responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. The case highlights the ongoing challenges between content creators, sports organizations, and music rights holders in the digital age.

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