Report: Miami Heat among 14 NBA teams facing lawsuits over alleged theft of copyrighted music

The Miami Heat are one of more than a dozen NBA teams facing lawsuits over the alleged use of copyrighted music in promotional videos without permission.

The full list of teams facing legal action — according to Law360 — includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs, along with the Heat.

All of the aforementioned NBA franchises are accused of uploading promotional videos containing copyrighted music to platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter).

The complaints, filed earlier this week and led by Artist Publishing Group and Kobalt Music Publishing America Inc., allege that all of the teams accused of using copyrighted music were “well aware of the protections” provided by copyright law.

Each team now faces three claims: direct copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement, and indirect copyright infringement.

The Heat are coming off a 2023-24 campaign that many fans of the team will likely want to forget. After reaching the NBA Finals in 2023, Miami didn’t have nearly as much success in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Miami’s playoff run was short-lived, as the team lost in five games in the first round to the Boston Celtics, who went on to win the title.

It’s worth noting, however, that the Heat were already dealing with injuries when the first round began. Jimmy Butler was battling an MCL injury and missed the entire best-of-seven series. Additionally, Terry Rozier did not appear in any of Miami’s five playoff games against Boston due to a neck injury.

The Heat’s lone win over the Celtics in the 2024 NBA Playoffs came in Game 2, when the Heat made 23 3-pointers to even the series at one game apiece. From there, they lost three games in a row.

Heat fans should keep a close eye on the team’s legal situation, as it is possible the organization could face repercussions in the future.