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Antitrust Shifts and Music Licensing Battles
The entertainment industry saw major legal developments this week — from a partial settlement in the Live Nation monopoly trial to a new copyright lawsuit targeting the Steam gaming platform. These cases highlight how competition law and music licensing continue to reshape the business of entertainment.
ChaseLawyers Newsletter
March 10, 2026
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Two major legal fights this week show how quickly pressure can build when regulators and rights holders decide the status quo is no longer acceptable.
In the U.S., Live Nation has reached a settlement with the Department of Justice in its monopoly case, agreeing to financial penalties and structural changes. But the battle is not over — a group of states says the deal fails to address the real monopoly concerns and plans to keep fighting in court.
Meanwhile, in the UK, PRS has sued Steam over music licensing, arguing that game publishers’ sync deals don’t cover the separate “making available” rights triggered when games are downloaded or streamed. The case could have major consequences for how music rights are handled in gaming.
Live Nation and DOJ Reach Settlement Amid Monopoly Trial
Live Nation has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in the ongoing antitrust case surrounding its dominance in the live entertainment market. Under the agreement, the company will pay up to $280 million in damages and make several operational changes, including ending exclusive booking agreements at 13 amphitheaters and capping ticketing service fees at 15 percent. Venues will also be allowed to choose between exclusive or non-exclusive ticketing arrangements with Ticketmaster.
However, the case is far from over. A coalition of states that joined the DOJ lawsuit says the settlement does not go far enough and plans to continue pursuing the case in court. Critics argue the deal does little to address the broader monopoly concerns surrounding Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s control of the concert industry.
PRS Sues Steam Over Music Licensing in Video Games
UK collecting society PRS has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Valve, the company behind the Steam gaming platform. The lawsuit claims Steam has never obtained the necessary licenses to cover the “making available” rights of music contained in downloadable video games — rights that PRS exclusively manages on behalf of songwriters and composers.
While game developers typically secure synchronization licenses to include music in their games, those agreements do not cover the subsequent distribution of that music when games are downloaded or streamed. PRS argues that Steam’s failure to obtain the proper licenses undermines the rights of creators and publishers, and says legal action will continue unless Valve agrees to secure both retroactive and future licensing.
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 Live Nation and DOJ Reach Settlement Amid Monopoly Trial |  PRS sues gaming platform giant Steam for copyright infringement |
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