Earlier this month, it was reported that Verzuz founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland had sued Triller for not making payments after they sold their idea to the video app in 2021. Now, according to Rolling Stone, Triller is being sued by another business partner who says the app’s administrators refused to pay music licensing fees. Sony Music Entertainment has filed suit for millions in damages after Triller allowed users to continue posting videos with music from Sony artists after the label ended its deal with the app.
The lawsuit accuses Triller of “brazen contempt for the intellectual property rights of Sony Music, its artists, and others” after Triller “historically failed to make payments in a timely manner,” then completely stopped making its monthly payments entirely in March. Sony says attempts to contact Triller resulted in “near-total radio silence.” It terminated its licensing agreement on August 8, but despite warning Triller that “its continued use of Sony Music Content would constitute willful copyright infringement,” Triller has continued to make Sony Music artists’ music available for use on the app. The Sony roster includes artists such as Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Rosalía, Tyler The Creator, and more.
Meanwhile, as Triller apparently refused to pay Sony or the Verzuz founders, it acquired other platforms such as Fangage, a platform that helps creators to host and sell content. Triller previously called the Verzuz lawsuit a “legal shakedown,” maintaining that the producers had already been paid “$50 million in cash and stock.” Meanwhile, other high-profile stars are beginning to eschew proposed Verzuz battles; Diddy recently said, “We’re not f*ckin’ with Triller until they take care of Swizz and Tim for Verzuz.”
