X, formerly Twitter, has expanded its existing lawsuit to include several prominent global brands, accusing them of participating in an illegal advertising boycott following Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform in 2022.
The amended complaint, filed Saturday in a federal court in Texas, now names Lego, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Abbott Laboratories, Colgate-Palmolive, Pinterest, and Shell International as defendants. These companies join previously named parties including CVS, Twitch, and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA).
According to the lawsuit, the WFA expressed concerns about X potentially deviating from its brand safety initiative, known as the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). The complaint alleges that at least 18 GARM-affiliated advertisers completely halted their advertising on the platform, while others substantially reduced their spending.
X claims these coordinated actions have cost the company billions in advertising revenue, with ongoing negative impacts. The platform's legal team argues that social media companies should independently determine their brand safety standards rather than face collective pressure from advertisers.
The lawsuit comes amid significant changes to X's content moderation approach under Musk's leadership, including the reinstatement of previously banned accounts and the removal of various moderation teams.
In response to the initial lawsuit, the WFA has already discontinued its GARM operations, stating that misrepresentation of its purpose had depleted its resources.
The newly added defendants have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding their inclusion in the expanded lawsuit.