Warner Music Group (WMG) filed a lawsuit against cookie company Crumbl for copyright infringement in Utah. The lawsuit alleges Crumbl used WMG’s copyrighted sound recordings and musical compositions in social media marketing campaigns without proper licenses.

Alleged Infringements Target Popular Songs

As Billboard reports, WMG claims Crumbl has misappropriated at least 159 sound recordings and musical compositions featured in videos across platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The allegedly infringed works include songs by Lizzo, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa, and Taylor Swift.

The complaint provides specific examples, including Crumbl’s TikTok video, which promotes blueberry cheesecake featuring Lil Mosey’s “Blueberry Faygo,” and a yellow sugar cookie promotion using Coldplay’s “Yellow” without permission.

Part of Broader Industry Enforcement Trend

This lawsuit follows similar legal actions against other brands. In October 2024, Universal Music Group sued Brinker International, owner of Chili’s restaurant chain, for 80 alleged infringements across social media platforms. Earlier in May 2024, Sony Music Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Marriott International for 931 alleged infringements of sound recordings.

WMG itself was previously involved in copyright infringement litigation against Bang Energy in 2022, alongside Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

Financial Stakes and Legal Remedies

WMG seeks a jury trial and a permanent injunction to prevent further infringement. The company is pursuing statutory damages of up to $150,000 for each infringed work, potentially totaling nearly $24 million if the court awards maximum penalties for all 159 cited works.

Crumbl, which operates over a thousand stores nationwide and is reportedly exploring a sale according to Reuters, “should have been aware of the need to secure licenses for the music used in its promotional materials,” according to the lawsuit.

Music Licensing Challenges for Brands

The growing trend of music-related lawsuits highlights the challenges brands face when incorporating popular music into digital content, particularly as platforms like TikTok and Instagram increasingly rely on music to drive user engagement.

“Brands have an equally hard time licensing music for TikTok or Instagram,” Paul Sampson, founder and CEO of Lickd, a platform that licenses mainstream music to content creators, recently told Net Influencer. “They’re not allowed to use the library on those platforms like you and I are. And when they try and license music, it takes them five, six weeks, and they’re putting out two pieces of content a day.”

Sampson noted that the traditional music licensing process remains “stuck in an outdated, manual process designed for traditional media companies with legal teams and long production timelines,” creating challenges for brands seeking to incorporate popular music in their social content legally.