APM's latest lawsuit targets the American Hockey League (AHL) over alleged unauthorized use of copyrighted music in promotional videos across social media platforms. The legal action also names several AHL teams as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges "rampant infringement" of APM's protected works on team-specific social media channels, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter/X. According to APM, the AHL has reportedly refused to obtain proper licenses or acknowledge wrongdoing.

Some allegedly infringing content has already been removed, such as a Syracuse Crunch post on X, while others remain live, including a player promo video on the AHL's YouTube channel from late 2021.

This lawsuit follows a pattern of similar copyright actions in 2023:

• APM vs. Johnson & Johnson
• Kobalt and Prescription Songs vs. NBA teams
• Sony Music vs. Marriott
• Beastie Boys vs. Chili's parent company

The trend extends to 2022, when major labels sued Bang Energy (later acquired by Monster). Sony Music's ongoing legal battle with OFRA Cosmetics saw recent developments, with the judge approving Sony's discovery requests and setting a September 19th deadline for OFRA's complete response.

These cases highlight the growing tension between content creators using social media for promotion and music rightsholders protecting their intellectual property, particularly since pre-licensed song libraries are typically cleared only for personal, not commercial, use.

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