New Orleans Pelicans One of 14 NBA Teams Being Sued for Copyright Violations

The New Orleans Pelicans find themselves in a bit of hot water after they, among other teams, are getting sued for copyright violations.

Apr 12, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Pelicans logo at mid court before the Play-In game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Smoothie King Center / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

During the offseason, normally the only thing NBA teams have to worry about is improving their roster before the next year so they can build upon what took place the season prior.

The New Orleans Pelicans did that when they landed Dejounte Murray in a high-profile trade at the beginning of July. With the biggest hole on their roster now being the center position following this deal and the departure of Jonas Valanciunas in free agency, it's likely the front office isn't done trying to make moves.

Brandon Ingram has long been floated as a trade chip to address this need.

But as the Pelicans are focusing on improving their product on the court, Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports reports they will have some legal problems to deal with.

"Independent music labels, such as Kobalt Music, Artist Publishing Group, and Prescription Songs, are suing 14 teams for copyright infringement, alleging teams used songs in social media videos without their permission ... The lawsuits were filed in 14 separate cases by the same attorneys Friday. The five companies accused each team of using copyrighted music on social media to 'increase viewership' and 'engage its fanbase,'" he writes.

Along with New Orleans, the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs.

Schiffer says that each lawsuit is tailored for each separate team, but the main allegation is constant stating teams have stolen music they knew they had to pay for. While social media platforms have catalogues of songs that can be used, it can't be for commercials gain or promotional purposes.

"Each case is seeking up to $150,000 in damages for each infringement, an injunction against further infringement and attorneys fees. Totaled up among the 14 teams and the plaintiffs could be rewarded millions of dollars, depending upon the total number of posts that qualify for infringement," he reports.

There is precedent to suggest that these NBA franchises could find themselves on the losing side of this court battle.

Universal and Sony won their lawsuit against Bang Energy after they used hundreds of copyrighted songs in TikTok videos. Even though the beverage company believed they were were covered by TikTok's licensces, the judge ruled in favor of the music companies.

So, as the Pelicans continue searching for some moves to improve on the basketball court, their legal team will be battling this issue in legal court.