UMG's $500M Lawsuit Against Believe Advances to January Pretrial Conference
Universal Music Group's $500 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Believe and TuneCore is advancing, with a pretrial conference scheduled for January 8 in New York.
UMG white logo against black background
The lawsuit centers on allegations of "rampant piracy," with UMG claiming Believe and TuneCore distributed infringing works to digital platforms without proper vetting. The infringed content includes works from major artists like Post Malone, Kendrick Lamar, and Lady Gaga.
Key allegations include:
- Wrongful collection of royalties from unauthorized remixes and "sped up" versions
- Exploitation of YouTube's content management system
- Diversion of royalty payments through false ownership claims
UMG seeks $500 million in damages and a permanent injunction to prevent further infringement. Both parties must file a joint letter and proposed Civil Case Management Plan by January 2.
Believe has strongly denied these claims, stating they "take the respect of copyright very seriously" and will contest the allegations in court. TuneCore and Believe have declined further comment on the pending litigation.
The case highlights growing tensions between major labels and digital distributors over copyright protection and royalty collection in the streaming era.
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