Sony Music has filed a major lawsuit against Napster’s parent company, Rhapsody International, over tens of millions in unpaid royalties and licensing fees and Michael Jackson’s music is among the affected catalogues.
The legal action, which is taking place in Manhattan, New York, accuses Napster of owing £9.2 million (around $11.8 million) in unpaid royalties, along with $36 million in damages for alleged copyright infringement. While the lawsuit is not directly focused on Michael Jackson, it does highlight that Sony’s music, including Michael Jackson’s iconic recordings, has been streamed without proper licensing agreements in place.
Sony claims that Napster continued offering its music to subscribers even after their licensing agreement was officially terminated in June, following repeated missed payments. This includes a wide range of high-profile material, with Michael Jackson’s catalogue cited among the examples still available on the platform despite the contract being void.
Napster was acquired earlier this year by startup Infinite Reality for $207 million, but the acquisition did not resolve existing financial obligations to Sony. Instead, Sony alleges that no payments were made under a new repayment plan, prompting the label to send a breach of contract notice in May before terminating their licensing agreement the following month.
Despite that, Napster allegedly continued to stream Sony’s content, leading to the additional claim of copyright infringement, which includes unauthorized access to songs by artists like Michael Jackson.
While Michael Jackson is not the focus of the lawsuit, the case once again raises important questions about how the King of Pop’s music is being handled in the streaming age. Sony has long been a key rights holder of Michael’s solo catalogue, through its partnership with the Michael Jackson Estate.
This lawsuit follows a similar move by Sony against Triller in 2022, where the social platform was also accused of unpaid licensing fees and ultimately settled with a $4.5 million payout.
As Sony continues to defend its catalogue, this legal battle serves as a reminder to fans that not all streaming services uphold artist agreements and reinforces the importance of supporting licensed platforms to protect Michael Jackson’s musical legacy.
