Sony Music Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against the University of Southern California (USC) in New York federal court, accusing the university of using more than 170 of its songs in promotional videos for USC’s athletic program without proper licensing.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, claims that over 280 videos, featuring iconic tracks by artists like Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and AC/DC, were used across platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to boost the university’s sports visibility.
The lawsuit demands statutory copyright damages of $150,000 per song, potentially totaling tens of millions of dollars. Sony Music claims that despite multiple warnings since 2021, USC continued to use its music without acquiring the necessary licenses to do so.
“USC has repeatedly ignored requests to license our music, instead using it to drive engagement and promote ticket sales and merchandise for their athletics program,” said Sony Music in the lawsuit.
The label notes that USC had acknowledged the need for music licenses, but nevertheless chose to bypass the proper legal steps, even though they were aware that music licenses can be costly and that requests for such licenses could be denied.
The university responded in a statement, asserting its commitment to intellectual property rights, and emphasized that it would address the allegations in court. Representatives for Sony Music declined to comment further.
The lawsuit follows a pattern of similar legal actions by Sony Music against other entities, including a dispute with Marriott last year, which was resolved later that same year.
The case, Sony Music Entertainment v. University of Southern California, is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, under case number 1:25-cv-02042.
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