CF Montreal and MLS are the subject of a lawsuit for alleged copyright infringement that could reach tens of millions of dollars, our Bureau of Investigation has learned.
Last week, New York music giant Associated Production Music (APM) filed a civil complaint in California’s Central District Court.
APM alleges that 253 of its copyrighted soundtracks have been abusively used by the football league and its teams, including CF Montreal, in visual content posted online and on social media.
Examples of this content include advertisements and highlight videos.
The current document, filed by Johnson & Johnson LLP, reports 583 pieces of content that would illegally use musical works.
According to the filing list obtained by our investigative office, CF Montreal would have aired five different works, including the popular hip-hop track “Game face on,” in about ten separate productions.
Risk of a high bill
APM accuses MLS and its clubs of three violations, all related to copyright infringement.
For each of those violations, the plaintiff believes he is “entitled to recover his actual damages, including Defendants’ gains from the violation, as will be proved at trial,” the filing reads.
“Alternatively, plaintiff is entitled to recover up to $150,000 in statutory damages per infringing work,” the lawsuit continues.
Given the number of alleged violations, the bill could therefore amount to tens of millions if the court recognizes copyright infringement.
APM is also seeking an injunction to immediately stop using its soundtracks.
Reached via email, Johnson & Johnson LLP was stingy with comments. He did not name the share that could be claimed from FC Montreal.
Alerted to the lawsuit filed in California, CF Montreal’s communications department said it should research the litigation before answering our questions.
MLS has not responded to our request made on Tuesday afternoon.
Extensive repertoire
According to the list filed with the court, it was primarily MLS and its second-highest franchise, Los Angeles Galaxy ($925 million), that allegedly misused APM’s musical works.
In the latest version of its list of the value of MLS teams, business magazine Forbes has placed the Montreal club second to bottom on its list, putting its value at $375 million.
According to this publication, the Saputo family-owned team suffered losses of $12 million in the 2022 season. For this new season, it will present the smallest payroll in the league at under $10 million.
APM has a repertoire of more than a million soundtracks, including the theme “Monday Night Football” and the song “Sweet Victory” used in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The American television series “Game of Thrones” and “This is Us” as well as video games such as “Call of Duty” draw from the APM repertoire.
– In collaboration with Philippe Langlois and Ian Gemme
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