Streaming service Spotify has been sued by a music publisher who says that the streaming service has infringed the copyrights of thousands of songs, including the Tom Petty hit “Free Fallin’” and The Doors’ classic “Light My Fire.”
In its lawsuit, filed in federal court in California on Dec. 29, Wixen Music Publishing is seeking a whopping $1.6 billion-plus dollars from Spotify.
“As Spotify has publicly admitted, and its recent lawsuits and settlements confirm, Spotify has repeatedly failed to obtain necessary statutory, or ‘mechanical,’ licenses to reproduce and/or distribute musical compositions on its service,” the suit reads. “Consequently, while Spotify has become a multibillion dollar company, songwriters and their publishers, such as Vixen, have not been able to fairly and rightfully share in Spotify’s success, as Spotify has in many cases used their music without a license and without compensation.”