UMG Says Chili’s Used Unlicensed Songs in 62 Social Media Videos

UMG Recordings Inc. filed a federal lawsuit accusing the company that owns the Chili’s restaurant chain of using copyrighted songs in social media videos without a license.

Brinker International Inc. used music owned by UMG in short-form videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to promote Chili’s, according to the complaint filed by UMG, Capitol Records LLC, affiliated record labels, and others including Polygram Publishing Inc. in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. An exhibit attached to the complaint identified 62 videos it said infringed the plaintiffs’ rights.

Licensing music for media on the internet is ...