Several NBA teams sued for using rap songs in social media posts

Several NBA teams are being sued for using certain rap songs in social media posts without permission.

14 NBA teams face lawsuits over copyright infringement

On July 18, Kobalt Music Publishing, Artist Publishing Group and others filed multiple lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing 14 NBA teams, including the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, of copyright infringement. Other teams being sued include the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.

Following the complaints filed by XXL On Monday (July 22), the plaintiffs accused the NBA teams of “exploiting copyrights by synchronizing the works with the videos intended to promote defendants’ commercial activities and then using the videos on various consumer-facing platforms. Defendants did not obtain the license, permission or consent of plaintiffs to synchronize the works with the videos.”

The songs listed in the lawsuits span genres, but also include hip-hop tunes such as Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” Shaq’s “I Know I Got (Skills),” A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “Look Back at It,” DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” and others.

The lawsuit seeks a $150,000 fine for each violation. As of press time, many of the videos in question have been removed from team accounts.

XXL has asked the NBA for comment.

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Cracking down on copyright infringements

Rappers are often the target of copyright infringement lawsuits. There have been recent cases of rappers and the companies that own their content fighting back against the unlawful use of their music. Last April, Universal Music Group cracked down on AI manipulation of its artists’ music. On a smaller scale, Boosie BadAzz recently won a $21,000 lawsuit against Celcius Nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida, for playing its music without an ASCAP license.

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