Sony Music recently got convinced to drop its lawsuit filed against Gymshark. Gymshark is a British fitness-apparel startup that allegedly misused songs of Sony Music as per the court documents. The case was filed in Los Angeles Federal Court. Both the companies said in a submission made in court that they mutually agreed to dismiss the current case with prejudice. This means that such a lawsuit cannot be filed again.
Sony Music is being represented by attorney Rollin Ransom of Sidley Austin. He confirmed the news on behalf of Sony Music that both the parties mutually settled the current dispute. However, he preferred to stay silent and further details. Sony Music sued Gymshark last year with claims that the fitness-apparel company had soundtracked its social media ads with hundreds of songs by some of the most popular artists including but not limited to Beyonce, Harry Styles, and Britney Spears whose rights were reserved with Sony Music. The root of the problem is Gymshark has used many songs but did not take permission from Sony Music in any manner before such acts.
Solihull which is a large market town has valued Gymshark at over $1 billion. Gymshark also started its first U.S. distribution center last year. The complaint said, “Gymshark promotes its products largely through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and its alleged infringement in those social media commercials is blatant, willful, and repeated.”
Sony Music further said, “Gymshark has over 7 million engaged social media followers, and over 60 million when counting the influencers, it hires to promote its products.”
The case can be reached with the name Sony Music Entertainment v.Gymshark Ltd, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California bearing case no. 2:21-cv-05731.