The musician behind TikTok's 'Cheese Tax' dog song sues Kroger and LG over brand videos
Billboard explains the TikTok rule many brands miss: viral sounds are free for people, not for companies.
Matthew Hobbs, who posts dog songs to more than 800,000 TikTok followers as Puppy Songs, filed copyright lawsuits on Oct. 19 against Kroger and LG Electronics, Billboard reports. He alleges both used his 2023 viral track "Cheese Tax" in TikTok marketing videos without buying sync licenses.
Billboard explains that personal TikTok accounts can use trending sounds for free, but brand accounts are limited to a commercial library unless they license music directly; Hobbs says his song was never in that library. Both videos came down in April after legal demands, but Hobbs says he hasn't been paid. LG declined to comment; Kroger did not immediately respond. Billboard notes Sony Music sued Kroger over similar posts in August.
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Synchronization rights
After exploring Kroger, LG Face Lawsuits Over Viral TikTok ‘Cheese Tax’ Dog Song, the license at the heart of the case is explained in Synchronization rights.
A sync license lets a licensee pair a copyrighted composition with media such as video, the right at issue in brand social posts.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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