Sony Accuses USC of Ripping Off Music in Slew of Sports Posts

The University of Southern California “blatantly” infringed music copyrights in hundreds of social media posts promoting its sports teams, Sony Music Entertainment said in a federal lawsuit.

USC posted more than 280 music videos on the Instagram and TikTok accounts of its athletic teams, using 170 Sony-owned songs without a license, including music by Beyoncé, Travis Scott, and Michael Jackson, the complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said. The school entered into an agreement to pause the statute of limitations in August through mid-January—extending Sony’s window to sue—but USC still refused to take ...