A US federal court has ordered Triller Group Inc. to pay Merlin more than USD $3.2 million in a default judgment over unpaid music licensing fees.
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York awarded Merlin’s motion for default judgment in the amount of $2,550,000.
You can read Judge Vargas’ order here.
The judgment, entered on July 9, also awarded Merlin $667,636.36 in pre-judgment interest and $717.05 in costs, plus post-judgment interest.
Together, the sums bring the total owed by Triller to more than $3.2 million.
The default judgment followed an Opinion and Order issued by Judge Vargas on November 17, 2025, which granted the motion.
Triller Group Inc. did not oppose that motion, which Merlin had filed on September 10, 2025.
Court filings name the plaintiff by its full corporate title, Music and Entertainment Rights Licensing Independent Network Limited.
Merlin, which represents independent record labels and distributors, sued Triller in March 2025, alleging the platform had breached a licensing agreement the two signed in 2020.
According to the complaint, that agreement contained a “most favored nation” clause requiring Triller to make up the difference to Merlin if it offered higher licensing fees to another music company.
Merlin said it discovered through a separate 2022 lawsuit that Triller had given another record company more favorable rates.
That other company appeared to be Sony Music Entertainment, which sued Triller in 2022 and later reached a settlement under which the platform agreed to pay $4.57 million.
In October 2025, Merlin voluntarily dismissed part of the case against a Triller subsidiary, Triller Hold Co LLC, after the company provided replacement equity warrants required under their contract.
But the organization pressed its $2.55 million claim against the parent company, Triller Group Inc.
“Merlin always seeks to resolve its disagreements with licensees constructively and amicably,” it said in a statement in October 2025.
“Following Triller’s provision of replacement equity warrants as required by our contract, Merlin has dismissed its warrant breach claim against Triller Hold Co LLC without prejudice, while expressly reserving all rights.
“However, Merlin’s claim for $2.55 million in unpaid licensing fees continues in full against Triller Group, and we look forward to the court’s ruling on our default judgment motion.”
The judgment adds to a series of legal and financial problems for Triller.
Triller became a publicly traded company in October 2024 through a merger with AGBA, a Hong Kong-based financial services firm, and began trading on the Nasdaq.
The company was also sued by Universal Music Group in 2023 over unpaid licensing fees, while a hedge fund controlled by Yorkville Advisors sued it in late 2024 over an allegedly unpaid debt of $33.5 million.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in early 2024, Triller disclosed that it owed more than $23 million in unpaid music licensing fees.
Triller also faced removal from the Nasdaq Stock Market after missing deadlines to file required financial reports with the SEC.
Nasdaq suspended trading in the company’s shares on December 30, 2025, a day after Triller filed an emergency application asking the SEC to stay the suspension.
Trading resumed in April 2026 after Triller won a favorable ruling from Nasdaq’s Listing and Hearing Review Council and then filed its delayed annual report, according to company disclosures.
The company, which trades under the ticker ILLR, carried out a 1-for-10 reverse stock split in June 2026 as it worked to meet Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement.
Triller Group reported a net loss of $174.5 million for its 2025 financial year, on revenue of $21.6 million, according to its most recent annual report.Music Business Worldwide
