Associated Production Music (APM) has reached confidential settlements with multiple American Hockey League (AHL) teams in an ongoing copyright infringement dispute. The settlements specifically involve Capital Sports & Entertainment (Belleville Senators) and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (Hershey Bears).

The lawsuit, filed in September, alleges unauthorized use of APM recordings in social media promotional videos by several AHL teams. Despite repeated communications between APM and the AHL, the parties failed to reach an initial resolution.

Key Points:

• The settlements' terms remain confidential
• The court rejected a request to pause Capital's pending dismissal deadlines
• Litigation continues with other defendants, including teams like the Ontario Reign and Tucson Roadrunners
• The AHL maintains it wasn't legally required to obtain licenses for the disputed usages

The case highlights a broader issue in sports and entertainment: social media platform song libraries are pre-cleared for personal use only, not commercial purposes. Brands must obtain separate licenses for both compositions and recordings.

Similar copyright infringement cases are currently pending against:

• NBA teams
• Marriott
• Chili's parent company
• Johnson & Johnson

The AHL case continues under docket number 2:24-cv-07803, with plaintiffs including Universal Music, Sony Music, and Kobalt pursuing legal action against remaining defendants.

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