CNN has turned down a rocky road with layoffs and restructuring of media personalities, and now they are being sued for copyright infringement. The online music library known as Freeplay Music is suing CNN, CNN Chile, and CNN Philippines for allegedly using 115 pieces of music without permission.
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Freeplay Music alleges that their 115 pieces of music were used in nearly 280 segments that aired on the news network. This isn’t the first time Freeplay Music has taken a large company to court for copyright; the company also brought a case against Ford Motor Company in 2020, which was settled in 2021.
According to this lawsuit, the music in question was exclusive to Freeplay Music and was used without license or permission. According to Digital Music News, “the alleged infringement specifically extends to 73 works across 169 videos on CNN Philippines, 40 works across 91 videos on CNN Indonesia (which isn’t a party to the suit, however), and three works across 19 videos on CNN Chile.”
The segments containing allegedly infringed music were then broadcasted in the States via CNN International, the plaintiff maintains, claiming also that the works were “essential” to the programs at hand and contributed to their “mood and feel.”
FPM communicated that it had learned of CNN’s alleged infringement – monitoring the internet for each allegedly unauthorized use would be “impossible” and like “finding a needle in a haystack,” the plaintiff claimed – through reports sent by TuneSat in May and November of 2022.
Digital Music News
The Freeplay Music lawsuit is asking for $150,000 in damages. No statements have been released by the accused. We speculate that this will be settled out of court, given the amount of the lawsuit is a drop in the bucket for the media giant. Be sure to read the full story at Digital Music News.
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