Universal has filed a complaint against Believe and TuneCore, accusing them of “massive ongoing infringements and a brazen attempt to build their business by exploiting the value of priceless recordings." Universal is seeking $500,000 in compensation for these alleged actions.

The lawsuit, which contains seven main allegations, details Universal’s claims against these two companies. One of the most serious accusations is that Believe has created a large catalog of sound recordings by contracting with “artists” and questionable record labels, granting itself authority to market and distribute their music. Through licensing agreements with major platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Instagram, Believe provides this catalog to these services. In doing so, they enable streams and downloads under Believe’s claimed licensing rights, using catalogs containing the works of famous artists, including ABBA and Daddy Yankee, that actually belong to Universal. They asserts that Believe’s catalog includes tracks from fake artists whose names mimic famous figures, using slight misspellings or variations, such as “Kendrik Laamar” (a play on Kendrick Lamar) or “Arriana Gramde” (a reference to Ariana Grande) so they contends that they have invested significant effort, time, and money over the years to develop these artists and promote their music, only to see Believe profit without compensating those who contributed to these artists’ success through production and social media work.

Universal emphasizes that it has made substantial investments in discovering and developing artists, promoting their work, and licensing exclusive sound recordings. Additionally, they argue that they have dedicated considerable resources to foster the legitimate digital music distribution market through collaborations with platforms and music services.

According to Universal, Believe’s client list includes numerous fraudulent “artists” and pirate labels who exploit Believe’s distribution network to spread infringing copies of popular songs throughout the digital music ecosystem. Often, the names of these "artists" and tracks resemble famous artists’ names or song titles. In an effort to evade legal scrutiny, they distribute modified versions of original tracks, often labeled as “sped-up” or “remixed.” This approach, Universal claims, has been highly effective, enabling Believe to distribute more tracks than major labels.

The complaint also references a previous incident involving YouTube. Believe allegedly used YouTube’s content management system to claim copyright over songs that actually belong to others (the plaintiffs). This tactic allowed them to delay or divert funds intended for the rightful owners of those songs. Even after YouTube resolved certain cases in favor of the actual owners, and Believe acknowledged it held no rights to some recordings, the company reportedly continued distributing the same songs to other digital platforms and continued to demand royalties. This is why Universal is urging the court to resolve the matter quickly, as they argue that Believe is unlawfully siphoning royalties meant for the original artists.

Universal claims that Believe frequently exploits YouTube’s Content ID system to assert copyright ownership over recordings that actually belong to the plaintiffs, even when the distributed tracks are infringing copies of the plaintiffs' popular songs. This practice forces Universal to spend time and resources contesting Believe's false ownership claims. If these claims go uncontested, Content ID would prevent Universal from monetizing their own recordings and, in some cases, divert revenue to Believe.

As a commercial music distributor, Universal argues that Believe is fully aware of the appeal and revenue potential of popular copyrighted music on digital platforms, and that Believe is deliberately capitalizing on these works to boost its own revenues and market share.