Report: Knicks Among Defendants In Music Copyright Lawsuit

The New York Knicks appear to be involved in a different kind of court.

Feb 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Recording artist Jay-Z attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks and some of their NBA brethren may have to gear up for a battle on a different kind of court.

Per multiple reports, the Knicks are one of several teams facing lawsuits over copyright infringement centered on the unauthorized use of music in promotional videos on social media.

One report from XXL states that the suit was filed in New York's Southern District and that plaintiffs include Kobalt Music Publishing and Artist Publishing Group. The same report also notes that all potentially offending videos have been removed from the respective teams' social media accounts.

Further information obtained by Bill Donahue of Billboard, the suit specifically accused the Knicks of using material from "New York legends" Cardi B and Jay-Z, keeping with a common theme of local artists' work reportedly being used: the Philadelphia 76ers are accused of doing the same thing with local star Meek Mill, as are the Atlanta Hawks with Migos and OutKast.

Other teams listed in the suit include Cleveland, Denver, Indiana, Miami, Minnesota, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio. XXL notes that the plaintiffs are seeking $150,000 in damages from each filing, accusing the squads in question of "exploiting the copyrights by synchronizing the works with the videos, which are intended to promote Defendants’ commercial activities, and then exploiting the videos on variety of consumer-facing platforms."

This wouldn't be the first lawsuit that the Knicks are involved in, as their legal battle with the Toronto Raptors over the alleged theft of proprietary information continues. Knicks on SI has reached out to MSG Sports for comment and this story will be updated as events warrant.

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