A group of 17 music publishers in the United States has filed a lawsuit against Twitter, alleging that the platform facilitated copyright violations involving nearly 1,700 songs.

The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is seeking over $250 million in damages. According to the NMPA, Twitter allows and even encourages infringement for profit.

The association claims that the situation has not improved since Elon Musk acquired the company.

Music publishing firms, including Sony Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, and Universal Music Publishing Group, argue that Twitter continues to profit from unlicensed music without paying the necessary licensing fees.

They argue that this gives Twitter an unfair advantage over competitors like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, which do pay for music licenses.

Twitter is accused of being the only major social media platform that refuses to license the millions of songs on its service.

The lawsuit further criticizes Twitter’s handling of copyright issues, mentioning downsizing of content review departments and key resignations within the company.