14 NBA Teams Sued For Allegedly Using Copyrighted Music Without Permission

Several music companies stated that the teams were 'willfully infringing on the intellectual property rights of the plaintiffs.'

Almost half of the teams in the NBA (National Basketball Association) are being sued for allegedly using copyrighted music in promotional videos on their social media accounts without expressed permission from the music companies that own the works being played.

According to Billboard, music companies Kobalt, Artist Publishing Group, Notting Hill Music, and Prescription Songs have filed a lawsuit in federal court on July 19 against 14 NBA teams alleging the use of copyrighted music in videos that the teams used on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) to “increase viewership” and “engage its fanbase.”

Each team was hit with similar accusations of using music they knew it should have paid to use in the posted videos.

“Defendants are acutely aware of the protections that the copyright laws of the United States afford,” it states in each lawsuit. “[The team] utilizes the full extent of legal protections available for its own intellectual property while simultaneously knowingly and willfully infringing on the intellectual property rights of the plaintiffs.”

The teams that are being hit with the allegations are the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs.

In the filings, the music companies used specific examples regarding the local artists’ songs that the teams are being accused of using. In the case against the New York Knicks, the companies allege that they used songs by “New York legends” JAY-Z and Cardi B. Songs recorded by Philadelphia native Meek Mill were used in the case against the 76ers, while the Atlanta Hawks were accused of stealing music from “Atlanta’s own” Migos and OutKast.