Back in March 2025, Sony Music Entertainment made headlines when it filed a lawsuit against the University of Southern California (USC), accusing the school of widespread copyright infringement.
The case centered on the unauthorized use of more than 170 songs, including tracks by Michael Jackson like Beat It, in over 280 promotional videos shared by USC’s athletics program on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Sony claimed the university had been warned as early as 2021 but continued to use the music without proper licensing, potentially exposing itself to damages in the tens of millions of dollars.
At the time, USC was expected to fight back with common defenses such as fair use, statute of limitations, and the argument that short music clips in sports-related content were transformative or incidental.
Fast forward to today, and the case has officially come to an end.
According to newly filed documents in Manhattan federal court, Sony Music and USC have reached a settlement, bringing the legal battle to a close. The court has been asked to dismiss the case, confirming that both parties have resolved the dispute privately.
However, key details remain unknown. No terms of the settlement have been disclosed, and neither Sony nor USC has commented publicly on the agreement.
What we do know is that the case evolved during its course. USC successfully convinced the court earlier this year to dismiss Sony’s secondary infringement claims, narrowing the scope of the lawsuit before the final resolution. Meanwhile, Sony had indicated that additional legal action, including from other labels or related to publishing rights, could have followed.
In the end, the dispute joins a growing list of similar cases pursued by Sony, including previous legal actions against companies like Marriott and other organizations over unlicensed music use on social media.
While the financial and legal specifics remain under wraps, one thing is clear: this case reinforces the ongoing importance of music rights management in the digital era, especially when it comes to high-profile artists like Michael Jackson.
