X Claims Music Publishers Are Misusing DMCA Takedowns as a Weapon

X is taking legal action against music publishers and their trade group, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), alleging coercive tactics in their ongoing licensing dispute. The platform, owned by Elon Musk, claims that the music publishers have teamed up with the NMPA to pressure X into accepting licenses for musical works across the industry, effectively stifling competition among publishers.

In the antitrust lawsuit filed recently, X accuses the NMPA and music publishers of misusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by inundating X with requests to remove content they claim infringes copyright. The lawsuit details that starting in 2021, the NMPA began sending a barrage of takedown notices weekly for thousands of posts, aiming to exert pressure on X to enter into broad licensing agreements.

Since Musk’s acquisition, X has faced ongoing challenges with copyright issues and piracy, highlighted by incidents in 2023 where the entire Super Mario Bros. Movie was repeatedly uploaded to the platform.

This lawsuit adds another chapter to the protracted legal struggle between X and the NMPA, which previously filed a $250 million lawsuit against X in 2023 for significant copyright violations involving over 1,700 songs. A judge has upheld parts of this ongoing case, and a filing from November 2025 indicated that X and the NMPA have made considerable progress toward a potential settlement.

X is seeking financial compensation and a court order to prevent the NMPA from compelling X to negotiate collectively with the music publishers.