UMG and Concord’s lawsuit against direct-to-consumer fashion brand Quince details the unauthorized commercial use of 67 sound recordings and 71 musical compositions across TikTok and Instagram. The complaint specifically targets Quince’s influencer marketing strategy, alleging the brand exercises high creative control over 300 creators monthly while stripping and replacing audio tracks with copyrighted material under false ‘Original Audio’ tags. Despite receiving a cease-and-desist in September 2024, the $10.1 billion company allegedly continued exploiting major catalog works to drive its reported $1 billion in annual revenue.
This litigation represents an aggressive escalation in the music industry’s broader crackdown on corporate social media infringement, building on legal precedent set against brands like Bang Energy and Gymshark. By targeting the legal liabilities of brand-directed influencer content, rightsholders are forcing highly valued retail startups to either internalize commercial music licensing costs or face statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work.
Curated by MusicResearch.com from Music Business Worldwide. Read the full article at: Fashion brand Quince, recently valued at $10B, sued by UMG for ‘rampant and brazen infringement’ in TikTok posts
