Associated Production Music (APM) has reached confidential settlement agreements with multiple American Hockey League (AHL) teams in an ongoing copyright infringement dispute. The settlements specifically involve Capital Sports & Entertainment (Belleville Senators) and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (Hershey Bears).

The lawsuit, filed in September, alleged unauthorized use of APM recordings in social media promotional videos by several AHL teams. Despite repeated communications between APM and the AHL, the parties failed to reach an initial resolution.

Key Points of the Case:

• The settlements' terms remain confidential
• Litigation continues with other defendants, including the Ontario Reign and Tucson Roadrunners
• The AHL maintains it wasn't legally required to obtain licenses for the disputed usages
• The court rejected a request to pause Capital's pending dismissal deadlines

The case highlights a broader issue in sports and entertainment: social media platforms' song libraries are pre-cleared for personal use only, not commercial purposes. Brands and their representatives must obtain proper licenses for both compositions and recordings.

Similar copyright infringement cases are currently pending against:

• NBA teams
• Marriott
• Chili's parent company
• Johnson & Johnson

The AHL's December response strongly denied any wrongdoing, stating they "deny that it infringed any of Plaintiff's purported copyright interests" and "deny that it was required to obtain a license from Plaintiff for any work alleged in the Complaint."

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