Kroger and LG Sued for Allegedly Using Dog-Themed ‘Cheese Tax’ TikTok Song Without Licenses
It's become common in recent years for music rights holders to take legal action over synchs on corporate social media accounts.
Musician Matthew Hobbs, who creates dog-themed songs on TikTok, has filed a lawsuit against grocery retailer Kroger and electronics company LG Electronics for allegedly using his song "Cheese Tax" in promotional videos without proper licensing. According to the copyright infringement lawsuits, filed on October 19, Kroger and LG played Hobbs' music in their TikTok advertisements without purchasing synch licenses.
The lawsuits allege that the companies capitalized on the song's viral popularity in March 2023 by featuring it in their social media posts. Kroger and LG subsequently removed the videos upon Hobbs' legal demands, but he claims he has not been compensated for the unauthorized use of his work. The suit also alleges that LG removed the copyright management information from the infringing video, which remained publicly available on their commercial TikTok page for over three years, constituting repeated acts of infringement. LG and Kroger have declined to comment on the lawsuits.
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