Copyright fights of 2024-2026: from YouTube's SESAC blackout to Huawei's glass dome

YouTube and YouTube Music users in the United States found songs missing on Saturday 28 September 2024. The Verge reported that affected titles included Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and tracks from Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Green Day, Kanye West and Burna Boy. Instead of the video, viewers saw a message: "This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country."

SESAC, the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, has existed since 1930. Its website says it licenses the public performance of more than 1.5 million songs for over 15,000 affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers. It is smaller than BMI and ASCAP, but its catalogue includes well-known names. The private equity firm Blackstone acquired it in 2017, according to The Verge.

Not every listing went dark

The removal was uneven. The Verge noted that one listing of Kanye West's "Power" was blocked while the music video version continued to stream. SESAC keeps a searchable database of its repertory, and a 44,267-page PDF of the complete list, but not all songs in it appear to have been taken down.

YouTube blamed the lapse of an agreement. "We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration," YouTube spokesperson Mariana de Felice told The Verge. "We take copyright very seriously and as a result, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the US."

According to an unnamed source cited by Variety, the previous deal actually did not expire until the following week.

On Monday afternoon YouTube announced a new deal and said the missing music would return "over the next day or two". SESAC itself did not comment publicly at the time.

Olympic ice, Chinese skylights, guitar body shapes

Music clearance troubles reach beyond streaming. The Guardian reported on 3 February 2026 that Spanish figure skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté learned late the previous week that his Minions-themed short program would not be cleared for the Milano Cortina Winter Games, despite his having submitted the music through the International Skating Union's recommended process months earlier. Universal Studios then granted permission after a fan campaign, he said on Instagram. "Because of you Universal Studios reconsidered and officially granted the rights for this one special occasion," he wrote. Other skaters were less lucky: Canadian ice dancers Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac lost two Prince songs, and the ISU director-general Colin Smith told the Guardian the music industry "has no common clearance platform".

Design disputes follow a similar pattern. Canadian glass artist Victoria Balva wrote that a stained glass skylight for Huawei's Shenzhen headquarters, worked on by the Japanese firm Nikken, copied her domes. Nikken investigated, accepted that an employee had looked at her designs and appointed a Toronto lawyer, she said; a new design was later submitted for her approval. The Globe and Mail covered the case.

Instruments are now in court too. Guitar World reported in June 2026 that German retailer Thomann is suing Fender over cease-and-desist letters tied to the Stratocaster body shape, after a March default ruling at the Regional Court of Dusseldorf. Thomann CEO Hans Thomann said many affected builders "do not have the financial and legal means" to fight alone.

Databases are the newest front. BetaKit reported that CanLII and Vancouver startup Caseway AI settled their copyright dispute in March 2026, with confidential terms, after CanLII alleged a bulk download of its legal database. Caseway called the outcome "a clear shift away from attempting to slow technological progress through litigation".