X countersues music labels, alleging coercion in copyright legal battle

The social media platform X filed an antitrust lawsuit Friday against music publishers and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), alleging the trade group conspired to force the company into expensive industry-wide licensing deals.

In its filing, X claims the NMPA and its members "weaponized" the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by flooding the platform with a barrage of copyright takedown requests. The company alleges these actions began in 2021 to pressure X into accepting broad licensing agreements rather than negotiating with individual publishers in a competitive market.

The move marks the latest escalation in a years-long legal conflict. In 2023, the NMPA sued X for $250 million, accusing the platform of "massive" copyright infringement involving more than 1,700 songs.

Despite the new litigation, a court filing from November 2025 indicated that both parties had recently made "very significant progress" toward a settlement. X is currently seeking monetary damages and a court order to halt the NMPA’s alleged anticompetitive practices.

X’s antitrust countersuit is a quintessential Elon Musk maneuver: a pivot from a defensive crouch to an aggressive offensive just as the legal tide was turning against him. Prior to this filing, X appeared vulnerable in the $250 million copyright infringement battle initiated by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA). Indeed, 2025 court records suggest the platform was drifting toward a settlement that would have likely been dictated on the publishers' terms.

By alleging collusion and coercion, X is attempting to fundamentally recast the narrative. The strategy seeks to transform X from a copyright infringer into a victim of a monopolistic cartel. Central to X’s argument is the claim that the NMPA operates as a collective trade union, stifling competition by preventing individual publishers from negotiating bespoke, competitive licensing deals with the platform. This is a calculated play for leverage, designed to force the NMPA back to the table under the threat of antitrust scrutiny and extract more favorable settlement terms in the underlying litigation.

The broader conflict highlights the staggering financial burden of music licensing for platforms built on user-generated content. Since Musk’s takeover, aggressive cost-cutting measures appear to have eroded the moderation and compliance infrastructure necessary to police intellectual property. High-profile lapses—such as the full-length leak of The Super Mario Bros. Movie on the platform—underscore a systemic vulnerability to infringement claims.

This litigation represents a high-stakes gamble for Musk. Should the antitrust argument fail to gain traction, X’s legal and financial standing will deteriorate further. However, a victory would do more than just save the company money; it would dismantle the current power structure of music licensing, setting a new precedent for the entire social media industry.

While this development has no immediate or direct impact on the broader Vietnamese-American community—including those focused on remittances or families navigating the F2B, H-1B, or EB-5 visa processes—it is a significant case for our digital creators. Vietnamese artists and social media users who rely on X to promote their music or highlight community staples, from the nail salon industry to the local phở scene in Little Saigon, should keep a close watch. The outcome could reshape copyright regulations and redefine how music content is managed across major social platforms for years to come.