The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has asked the courts to allow it to double its claims against exercise bike and treadmill startup Peloton, after discovering more unlicensed music — including songs by Taylor Swift and Kesha — being used in workout videos that play on the bikes’ built-in screens. It’s now seeking $300 million in damages, as reported by Forbes.
The original complaint, filed in March, accused Peloton of using over 1,000 songs without getting the proper license. At the time, NMPA requested $150 million in damages. After the lawsuit was filed, the offending songs conveniently disappeared, upsetting connected exercise equipment owners who’d gotten used to their beloved playlists.
But not all the songs disappeared, as reported by The Verge. Here’s what the NMPA now has to say about that:
Indeed, it is only as a result of initial discovery in this lawsuit that the full scope and extent of Peloton’s unlawful infringement has started to come into focus, revealing more than 1,000 additional musical works […] those newly discovered works include some of the most famous and popular songs ever recorded, such as “Georgia On My Mind,” “I Can See For Miles” and “I Saw Her Standing There.”
Popular music is core to Peloton’s business model. The company, set to go public later this year, allows people to replicate the experience of being in a fancy workout class without ever leaving their living rooms. If investors agree that the company’s IPO is priced correctly, the brand could be worth as much as $8 billion.
Peloton tells The Hollywood Reporter that the NMPA’s new claims are just grandstanding, though:
NMPA has again revealed its anti-competitive objective in this matter. In March, NMPA requested an expedited trial schedule, to which Peloton readily agreed. On the eve of court-ordered mediation, NMPA sought to alter the optics around its lawsuit by filing exaggerated new claims prior to the mediation while also transparently timing its filing to capitalize on Peloton’s inability to publicly respond in detail during our quiet period… We will continue to defend ourselves against claims made in this matter and look forward to pursuing our counterclaims.
You can read NMPA’s complete requested amendment below.