Sony Music ends copyright fight with Gymshark over social media posts – Reuters

Pedestrians are reflected in a Sony Corp logo outside its showroom in Tokyo July 16, 2014. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

(Reuters) – Sony Music has agreed to drop a lawsuit against Gymshark over alleged misuse of its songs by the British fitness apparel startup, court documents show.

The companies said in a filing in federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday that they agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.

Gymshark declined to comment. Sony Music and its attorney did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

Sony Music sued Gymshark last year, claiming the company recorded its social media ads featuring hundreds of songs from some of the label’s most popular artists – like Beyonce, Harry Styles and Britney Spears – without its permission.

Gymshark, based in Solihull, England, is valued at over $1 billion and opened its first distribution center in the United States last year.

The complaint said Gymshark promotes its products largely through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and said its alleged violation in these “social media advertisements” was “flagrant, willful and repeated.”

Sony Music said Gymshark has more than 7 million engaged social media followers, and more than 60 million counting the influencers it hires to promote its products.

The label also said it licenses songs to Gymshark competitors like Nike and Under Armour.

Gymshark did not respond to the complaint in court.

The case is Sony Music Entertainment v. Gymshark Ltd, US District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:21-cv-05731.

For Sony Music: Rollin Ransom by Sidley Austin

For Gymshark: Nixon Peabody’s Staci Trager

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Sony Music sues Gymshark for abusing ‘hundreds’ of songs in ads

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