Sony Music v. Marriott: what happened and what brands should learn
Short answer
In May 2024 Sony Music sued Marriott International in federal court in Delaware, alleging 931 unlicensed uses of its recordings in social media videos: 913 posted by hotels Marriott owned, managed or franchised, and 18 by influencers Marriott paid. Sony dismissed the case with prejudice in October 2024. The terms weren't disclosed. The lesson: posts by individual properties and franchisees can land on the parent brand.
The complaint
Sony Music Entertainment and several of its labels filed the suit on May 17, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for Delaware. The plaintiffs included Sony Music Latin, Arista, LaFace, Ultra and Records Label, plus Rimas Entertainment, the label behind Bad Bunny (Music Business Worldwide).
Sony alleged 931 infringements of its sound recordings in videos on social media. According to the complaint, 913 came from posts by hotels Marriott owned, managed or franchised, across brands such as Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Ritz-Carlton and Le Meridien. The other 18 came from influencers Marriott paid. Sony described the list as "only the tip of the iceberg" and said it expected to find more in discovery.
The songs were not obscure. The complaint named recordings by Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Miley Cyrus, Shakira and Doja Cat. One example Sony highlighted: a hotel post using Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" three days after it went to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. "It is no accident that the Marriott Videos use some of the most popular sound recordings in Sony Music's library," the complaint said.
What Sony asked for
The complaint sought damages to be determined at trial, plus costs and attorneys' fees. Press coverage estimated the theoretical maximum at close to $140 million, based on US statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work where infringement is willful. That figure was a calculation by reporters, not a number in the complaint, and maximum statutory damages are rarely what a case actually settles for.
Sony also said it had tried to resolve the matter before suing, and that Marriott refused to extend tolling agreements: arrangements that pause the clock on legal deadlines while the parties talk. That's a detail worth noticing. Many of these cases follow months of private correspondence before anything is filed.
How it ended
In early October 2024, Sony filed a notice of dismissal with prejudice, meaning the claims can't be refiled (Digital Music News; Bloomberg Law). The parties didn't disclose terms. Music Business Worldwide reported it as a settlement. Either way, the case was over less than five months after it started, without any ruling on the merits.
Marriott didn't admit wrongdoing in public filings, and nothing in the record tells us what, if anything, was paid. What the case did do was put a very large hospitality brand's social media practices on the public record, and show other labels and brands how these disputes can look.
Why this case matters for other brands
Location accounts are the brand's problem. The headline number is 931, but the more important number is 913. These weren't videos from Marriott's corporate social team. They were posts by individual hotels, many run by franchisees or management companies, using the brand's name. Any business with locations, properties, stores or franchisees posting their own content has the same structure.
Popular songs are the ones that get noticed. Labels enforce hardest on their biggest songs, and those are exactly the songs a local team reaches for when something is trending. Posting a new No. 1 song three days after it charts is the kind of detail that ends up quoted in a complaint.
Influencer posts were included, even if few. Eighteen paid influencer posts were part of the claim. Labels count creator content the brand paid for.
Private talks come first. The reference to tolling agreements suggests discussions before the suit. If your brand receives a letter, how you respond, and whether the posts stay up, shapes what happens next.
A scenario for a hotel or franchise group
A regional hotel group runs 40 properties, each with its own Instagram account managed by the front-office or sales team. One property's summer pool party Reel uses a song that's everywhere that month. It gets 200,000 views and the general manager shares it in the weekly call as a win. Two other properties copy the idea with the same song.
None of those posts would look unusual to the people who made them. All three are the kind of entry that shows up in a complaint: property, date, song, link. A simple rule for property accounts, and a periodic check across all of them, would have caught them before anyone outside the company did.
What to do now
- List every account posting in your brand's name. Corporate, regional, property, franchise and location accounts.
- Check them. Look for chart songs and trending sounds in marketing posts, including reposts of creator content.
- Give every account the same rule. Licensed library tracks, the platform's commercial library or original audio. Our music policy template is a starting point.
- Include paid influencers. Add a music clause to creator contracts and check creator posts before reposting or boosting them.
Common questions
When was Sony v. Marriott filed?
May 17, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for Delaware.
How many songs were involved?
Sony alleged 931 infringing uses of its recordings: 913 in hotel posts and 18 in posts by paid influencers.
How much did Sony ask for?
Damages to be determined at trial, plus costs and fees. Press estimates put the theoretical statutory maximum near $140 million; that's not a figure from the complaint.
How did the case end?
Sony dismissed it with prejudice in October 2024. The terms were not disclosed.
Why does this case matter for franchise brands?
Because almost all the alleged uses came from properties posting under the brand's name, not from corporate marketing.
Part of: Lawsuits and claims
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General information, not legal advice. Platform rules and licenses change; check the current terms or ask your lawyer about your situation. Lawsuit figures are as reported and represent claims, not findings, unless noted.