🌶️ Universal sues Chili’s owner

By Thomas

On October 9, 2024

In News

Universal Music sues Chili’s restaurant chain owner over alleged copyright infringement in social media ads

In the latest in a growing number of lawsuits over unauthorized use of music in social marketing, Universal Music Group (UMG) has sued the owner of US Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chili’s for allegedly infringing its copyrights in numerous social media posts.

In a complaint filed in a federal court in Dallas on Tuesday (October 8), record companies and music publishers owned by UMG said Chili’s owner Brinker International “failed topay… for the music that serves as the soundtrack for Chili’s social media ads” posted on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

The complaint claimed publishing and recorded music copyright violations on songs by ABBA, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Shania Twain, and the Spice Girls. It also cited alleged recording copyright violations on tracks by The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey, as well as a publishing copyright violation on Free’s All Right Now, among others.

As of mid-2024, Chili’s had 1,214 locations across the United States, the vast majority of which were company-owned, and 344 locations outside the US, most of them franchises.

Brinker reported $4.42 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ended June 26, 2024… (MBW)

Chili’s Owner, Universal

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