X alleges that music publishers are ‘manipulating’ DMCA takedowns as a weapon.

X has initiated legal action against music publishers and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), charging them with coercive practices amid their protracted dispute over licensing, as mentioned earlier by The Hollywood Reporter. The platform owned by Elon Musk accuses music publishers of collaborating with the NMPA to “force X into accepting licenses for musical works from the entire industry, depriving X of the advantage of competition between music publishers.”

In the antitrust lawsuit submitted on Friday, X alleges that the NMPA and music publishers “exploited” the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by filing requests to remove suspected infringing content. The lawsuit asserts that in 2021, the NMPA began “flooding X with takedown notices weekly concerning thousands of posts,” to “exert control and coerce X” into broad licensing agreements.

X has faced issues with copyright and piracy following Musk’s acquisition. For instance, in 2023, the entire Super Mario Bros. Movie continued to be shared on X.

This recent filing represents the latest development in a long-standing legal confrontation between X and the NMPA, which previously leveled a $250 million lawsuit against X in 2023 for significant copyright violations involving over 1,700 songs. A judge validated portions of the ongoing lawsuit in 2024, and a filing in November 2025 indicated that X and the NMPA “have made considerable progress towards a settlement,” per The Hollywood Reporter.

X is seeking financial restitution and requests that the court prohibit the NMPA from allegedly compelling X to engage in collective negotiations with the publishers.