Epidemic Sound, AB v. Meta Platforms, Inc.
- Jacquelyn Corley
- 3:22-cv-04223
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Epidemic Sound v. Meta Platforms, Judge Corley denied Meta’s motion to dismiss Epidemic Sound’s copyright-infringement lawsuit.
Epidemic Sound, AB’s copyright-infringement lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. will proceed beyond Meta’s motion to dismiss.
What happened
Epidemic Sound, AB sued Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging copyright infringement. Meta asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit for failure to state a claim or, alternatively, to require a more definite statement.
The court found that the complaint gave Meta fair notice of the claim and included enough factual information to support a reasonable inference that Meta could be liable. The court also noted that Meta improperly relied on materials outside the complaint, including pre-lawsuit investigations and information from Epidemic Sound’s website.
Judge Jacquelyn Scott Corley granted the request for judicial notice and denied Meta’s motion. The court also set an initial case-management conference for January 12, 2023.
The detailed version
- Epidemic Sound, AB v. Meta Platforms, Inc. · No. 3:22-cv-04223
- Jacquelyn Corley
- Nov. 28, 2022
Background
Epidemic Sound, AB brought a copyright-infringement lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. Meta moved to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), arguing that the complaint failed to state a legally sufficient claim. In the alternative, Meta moved under Rule 12(e) for a more definite statement. The order also addressed a request for judicial notice.
Court’s reasoning
The court held that the complaint provided fair notice of Epidemic Sound’s claim and the grounds on which it was based. The court also concluded that the complaint included factual content supporting a reasonable inference that Meta could be liable for the alleged misconduct. In addition, the court noted that Meta’s motion improperly relied on materials outside the complaint, including pre-suit investigations and information from Epidemic Sound’s website.
Ruling and next steps
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley granted the request for judicial notice and denied Meta’s motion. The order disposed of Docket Nos. 29 and 30. The court vacated the scheduled oral argument and set an initial case-management conference for January 12, 2023, with a joint case-management statement due one week beforehand.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.