Warner Music sues Ray-Ban owner Luxottica over songs in social posts
Warner Music Group has sued Luxottica, the eyewear group behind Ray-Ban and Oakley, over the alleged use of at least 427 of its songs in social media posts. The case was filed on 9 October in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Warner alleges the brands repeatedly set promotional videos to its music without a licence and without payment, according to details reported by Music Business Worldwide.
The suit names Luxottica Group S.p.A. and five affiliated companies: Luxottica of America, Oakley, Costa Del Mar, Eye Buy Direct and Chapter 4 Corp. Luxottica sits inside EssilorLuxottica, the maker of Ray-Ban identified by Reuters. The brands at issue include Ray-Ban, Oakley, Costa Del Mar and Oliver Peoples, according to the law firm bringing the case.
Twenty-three Warner entities are listed as plaintiffs. They include Atlantic Music Group, Warner Records, Elektra, 300 Entertainment and Warner Chappell Music, the publishing division that looks after songwriting rights. That matters because the claim covers two things at once: master rights, the actual recordings, and publishing rights, the underlying compositions. Warner is represented by Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel.
The complaint points to recordings and compositions by Miley Cyrus, Led Zeppelin, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Charli xcx and Fleetwood Mac among the works allegedly used. Warner describes the alleged infringement as willful, which in copyright law means the user knew or should have known that permission was required. It also alleges the music was misappropriated in an effort to increase revenues, according to an announcement from Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel.
The firm said the Luxottica brand accounts reach a combined 36.14 million followers across social platforms. That reach is central to Warner's argument. A song playing behind a product clip is not background noise in copyright terms. For a business account, it normally needs a synchronisation licence, a specific permission to pair music with pictures.
What makes this stand out is the everyday setting. No cinema ad. No sampled record. Just short videos on branded feeds where a familiar chorus runs under sunglasses and beach frames. That question of permission for business posts is now before the court in New York.
