Peloton Settles Music Publishers’ Suit

Peloton Interactive has settled a lawsuit in which a music publishing trade group and 14 of its members accused the maker of stationary bicycles of streaming more than 2,400 songs without permission in its workout videos, reported Reuters. 

In a joint statement on Thursday, February 27, Peloton and the National Music Publishers’ Association said they have also entered a collaboration agreement to “further optimize” Peloton’s processes for music licensing. Other terms were not disclosed.

The trade group had been suing Peloton for more than US$300 million, accusing it of copyright infringement for using songs it controlled without first getting required licenses.

Among the works covered were songs by Adele, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, John Legend, Maroon 5, Meek Mill, and Taylor Swift, and classics such as The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind,” and The Who’s “I Can See For Miles.”

The settlement was announced four weeks after a Manhattan federal judge dismissed Peloton’s antitrust counterclaim accusing the trade group of disrupting its licensing negotiations with individual publishers.

In Thursday’s statement, Peloton’s head of music, Paul DeGooyer, said it was important to ensure that songwriters “are, and continue to be, fairly compensated.”

Full Content: Reuters

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.