{"id":22819,"date":"2026-10-21T01:43:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T01:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interspacemusic.com\/blog\/lg-and-kroger-face-copyright-lawsuits-over-cheese-tax\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T01:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T01:43:34","slug":"lg-and-kroger-face-copyright-lawsuits-over-cheese-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interspacemusic.com\/blog\/lg-and-kroger-face-copyright-lawsuits-over-cheese-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"LG and Kroger Face Copyright Lawsuits Over \u2018Cheese Tax\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matt Hobbs<\/strong> has sued LG<\/a><\/strong> and Kroger<\/strong> over alleged unlicensed use of \u201cCheese Tax<\/strong>\u201d on TikTok, seeking damages for infringement of both the recording and the composition.<\/p>\n

The Georgia-based singer-songwriter filed the complaints yesterday in a California federal court. LG also faces claims involving copyright information attached to the material.<\/p>\n

The song and Kroger\u2019s alleged use<\/h2>\n

Hobbs created Puppy Songs<\/strong>, a collection of nearly 200 original songs about life with a dog. He wrote, recorded and released the minute-long \u201cCheese Tax\u201d in February 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The complaints say the track went viral on TikTok<\/strong>. It currently has 4.05 million streams<\/strong> on Spotify<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Hobbs alleges that Kroger used the song without a licence. TikTok\u2019s pre-cleared music library permits personal use rather than commercial use, and the Kroger complaint says \u201cCheese Tax\u201d was never in its Commercial Music Library.<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, Hobbs discovered Kroger\u2019s post in December 2025<\/strong> and sent a cease-and-desist letter in March 2026<\/strong>. Kroger allegedly removed the video the following month.<\/p>\n

The removal did not resolve the dispute. Hobbs is pursuing claims of direct infringement involving the sound recording and underlying composition.<\/p>\n

Additional claims against LG<\/h2>\n

The complaints state that @vito.the.boxer<\/strong>, an account apparently documenting a boxer dog named Vito, had neither the right to license the works nor permission to use them commercially.<\/p>\n

LG faces direct infringement claims and two additional counts under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Hobbs alleges that LG supplied false copyright management information (CMI) by presenting the video and song as its own when uploading them to TikTok.<\/p>\n

He also alleges that LG intentionally removed or altered that information by downloading the clip and uploading it again without his identifying information.<\/p>\n

Damages sought and earlier cases<\/h2>\n

Hobbs is seeking the following relief from both defendants:<\/p>\n