In a recent legal development, X (formerly Twitter) has responded to remaining copyright infringement claims in the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) lawsuit.

The case, initiated in June 2023, originally accused X of direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement involving approximately 1,700 works. In early March 2024, the judge dismissed direct and vicarious infringement claims, leaving only specific contributory allegations.

The remaining claims focus on three key issues:

• X's alleged inadequate response to repeat infringers
• Slow processing of takedown notices
• Preferential treatment for paid users regarding infringing content removal

In its 29-page response, X maintains that it:

• Respects rightsholder rights
• Complies with DMCA requirements
• Expeditiously removes content after valid DMCA notices
• Does not currently have licensing agreements with the plaintiffs

X's defense argues that:

• Any infringement was innocent and not willful
• The platform did not materially contribute to alleged primary infringement
• Some elements of the action may be time-barred
• The plaintiffs failed to state sufficient facts for relief

This case bears similarity to NMPA's previous litigation against Roblox, which was settled approximately 30 months ago. The outcome could potentially lead to a licensing agreement between X and NMPA, though the legal proceedings are expected to continue.

Moving forward, the industry will closely monitor this case's progression and its potential impact on social media platforms' handling of copyrighted content.

The case number is 3:23-cv-00606.

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