Music publishers hit Roblox with $200million lawsuit for “exploitation of music”

Music publishers in the US have hit Roblox Corporation, the developer behind the massively successful online video game Roblox, with a $200million lawsuit alleging widespread copyright infringement.

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The suit was filed by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) on behalf of big publishers such as ABKCO Music & Records and indie labels such as Big Machine Records. It alleges that the video game company has not been taking necessary steps to prevent copyright infringement by its users, leading to an “unabashed exploitation of music without proper licenses”. NMPA is seeking a minimum of $200million in damages.

Songs that are allegedly being used in Roblox with neither consent from nor compensation to copyright holders include tracks by Ariana Grande, Imagine Dragons, deadmau5, Ed Sheeran and The Rolling Stones, according to the NMPA.

NMPA president and CEO David Israelite announced the lawsuit in the trade association’s annual meeting yesterday (9 June), where he also accused Roblox of “taking advantage of young people’s lack of understanding about copyright”.