Associated Production Music (APM), jointly owned by Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group, has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for alleged copyright infringement in the Central District of California, Western Division.

Photo Credit: Wesley Tingey

The lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson used APM's copyrighted sound recordings without permission in promotional videos across multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (now X), and YouTube. APM discovered the unauthorized use earlier this year and claims Johnson & Johnson refused to obtain proper licenses or acknowledge wrongdoing when contacted.

Key details of the lawsuit:

• APM seeks unspecified damages and an injunction to stop further infringement
• The company may pursue up to $150,000 in statutory damages per infringed work
• APM's catalog includes over 1 million tracks from libraries like Bruton, Cezame, KPM Music, Kosinus, and Sonoton
• Their music has been featured in major productions including Westworld, Stranger Things, and Game of Thrones

This case follows similar recent lawsuits against major US companies for unlicensed music use in promotional content. In July, multiple NBA teams faced litigation from Kobalt Music Publishing and others for alleged unauthorized music use in promotional videos on their official channels.

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