Triller Sued by Sony Music Over Music Licensing Fees

Triller is being sued by Sony Music as the company’s legal woes continue to mount.

On Monday, Sony Music Entertainment filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for copyright infringement and breach of contract. Sony claimed that earlier this year, the video-sharing app stopped paying licensing fees. In March 2022, Sony began to take action after Triller failed to make payments in a “timely manner.” They reached out to the company multiple times to collect the balance but were met with silence each time. To date, Triller still owes the record label millions in outstanding fees.

Sony and Triller initially teamed up for what seemed to be a promising licensing partnership in 2016. However, the deal was unstable from the beginning, having changed several times. The pair’s most recent agreement was signed on December 21st, known as the “Eleventh Amendment.” This latest revision stated that Triller was to make an initial payment, followed by monthly payments from March 1st to November 1st. Sadly, Triller, once again, did not keep up its end of the bargain.

However, on Tuesday, Triller responded in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, saying, “We have yet to be served, but from what we’ve seen, this lawsuit from Sony Music grossly mischaracterizes our relationship with them and leans into the bully persona large music labels are often criticized for. We are focused on furthering the creator economy, and we will continue to seek a contract that achieves that goal. If necessary, we will defend our case in court.” The company added that “the process of removing a music catalog is not immediate,” and as of Tuesday, “all identified Sony music has been removed from Triller.”

The lawsuit comes just weeks after producers Swizz Beats and Timbaland sued Triller for defaulting on the purchase of their Verzuz platform. According to the hip-hop icons, Triller made payments to them in 2021 but had fallen behind by the time 2022 rolled around. One missed payment was made in February, but the company never made the remaining $18 million payment due in March. Triller also promised $1 million monthly for ten months, which was also non-existent. Swizz and Tim are suing the company for $24 million.