By Blake Brittain
(Reuters) – Sony Music Entertainment has dropped a lawsuit against Triller over allegations that the short video platform used the label’s music without permission, according to a suit filed in Manhattan federal court.
Sony Music and Triller told the court on Friday that they would close the copyright suit on a pretrial basis, meaning it cannot be refiled.
Representatives of the companies did not immediately respond to requests for more information on Monday, including whether the companies had reached a settlement.
Triller had part of the lawsuit resolved in April, agreeing to pay more than $4.5 million for allegedly breaching a contract with the label.
Sony Music sued Los Angeles-based Trill last year. It accused the TikTok rival of failing to pay payments under a licensing agreement and committing “massive” copyright infringement by streaming its music without a license since the contract was broken.
The lawsuit cited more than 50 songs that Triller allegedly abused by artists such as Britney Spears, Harry Styles and Janis Joplin.
A Triller spokesperson said at the time that it had removed Sony Music’s catalog from the platform and that the complaint “grossly mischaracterizes” their relationship. Triller later denied Sony Music’s allegations in court.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; editing by Chris Reese)
