Major Music Publisher Sues USC Over Copyright Infringement Sports and growth of NIL drive use of music on college athletes' social media By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Monday, March 17, 2025 - 10:45 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The music industry's increasing willingness to resort to litigation to combat copyright infringement is on a collision course with college sports' growing affluence. Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit against the University of Southern California (USC), alleging that the school repeatedly and willfully used unauthorized copyrighted music in its social-media posts.
Specifically, in a complaint filed at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, SME's lawyers presented evidence of 283 posts by USC Athletics social-media accounts using 170 SME-owned songs, which the complaint says were unauthorized uses. Among the songs cited are Gimme More by Britney Spears, Run the World (Girls) by Beyonc , and Beat It by Michael Jackson.
The complaint alleges, USC also exploits Sony Music's hit recordings when they have just been released and are at the top of the charts.
The NCAA recorded nearly $1.4 billion in revenue for its 2024 fiscal year - the association's best in at least two decades, it asserts, and a nearly $91 million increase over the revenue total it reported for 2023. And the bulk of the NCAA's revenue comes from media rights and marketing deals tied to championship events.
It's Not an Isolated Incident The copyright-infringement problem is ongoing. Last year, 14 NBA teams - including the Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks - were sued for copyright infringement by music publishers, including Kobalt Music Publishing and Artist Publishing Group. The lawsuits alleged that the teams used copyrighted music in social-media videos and on their official NBA websites without the copyright owner's permission. The music was used to promote team activities and products and to increase viewership and engage fans. Similar suits go back more than a decade.
The issue is exacerbated by the recent and rapid growth of name/image/likeness (NIL) rules, which allow college athletes to make and earn from endorsement deals, and they often use music on social media to promote those arrangements.
The SME complaint points to a social-media guideline document issued by USC, which notes, among other things, that all music is copyrighted[,] which means, prior to featuring it in your video, you must license it through the proper vendors and channels.
SME's complaint seeks to portray USC as a commercial enterprise, noting that the school recorded more than $7 billion in operating revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and reported $212 million in athletic revenue for the 2022-23 school year.
USC's sports programs bear the hallmarks of a commercial enterprise, the complaint states. USC's football coach Lincoln Riley was paid more than $19 million in the 2023 fiscal year, one of the highest-paid college football coaches in the nation. USC's football program led the nation in digital engagement and amassed nearly 21 million video views across social-media platforms in September 2024 alone.
The statutory damage for infringement is $150,000 per instance, not per song. Thus, the maximum statutory award for 283 infringements would be $42.45 million.
Sports leagues continue to be sued by music publishers. For instance, APM Music, which is jointly owned by Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group, last year filed suit against the AHL for alleged rampant copyright infringement of music on its teams' social-media posts.
North America Stories
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
15/05/2026
For sports organizations, the most valuable assets are often the most sensitive:...
15/05/2026
The NFL's broadcast partners released their 2026 regular season schedules ye...
15/05/2026
Besides drawing on experience with boxing, the production integrates specialty c...
15/05/2026
Daniel Roher attends the Tuner Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Theatre on January 22, 2026 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Neilson Bar...
15/05/2026
86% of media planners would move more linear TV budget to CTV if they had show-level targeting and reporting - and 65% would also shift dollars from programmati...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Clear-Com will showcase new communications solutions and major platform updates at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7005), June 17-19, in the North and Central Halls of t...
15/05/2026
Following an outstanding inaugural year in 2025, Rise AV is proud to announce the return of its flagship leadership initiative, Elevate. The programme continues...
15/05/2026
Berklee Announces Lineup for Inaugural AI Music Summit The three-day event puts musicians at the center of the future of music creation, ethics, and the indus...
15/05/2026
Lightware returns to InfoComm 2026 with a focused showcase of scalable USB-C connectivity, next-generation AV-over-IP solutions, and technologies that help over...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Delivering a live, arena-scale production of a massively popular band is no small feat. Between expansive in-arena LED walls and a global live stream fed to onl...
15/05/2026
Connection is the heartbeat of any strong community, and with live streaming becoming more accessible in the modern era, it's much easier for faith-based or...
15/05/2026
Powered by GX 3 media servers, optimised IP-VFC workflows and on-site engineering expertise, the production delivers high-performance visuals for one of the wor...
Major Music Publisher Sues USC Over Copyright Infringement Sports and growth of NIL drive use of music on college athletes' social media By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
