RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The social media company and the World Federation of Advertisers say they're resetting their relationship.
Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash X Corp. and a group of advertisers have agreed to put a legal dispute behind them. In a joint statement , the two sides say the agreement resets their relationship.
The social media company sued the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and several of its members in 2024, accusing them of an "illegal boycott" of X. It alleged that the advertisers withheld billions of dollars in ad spending due to concerns over the platform's approach to moderation . Earlier this year, a judge dismissed the suit after determining X was unable to prove it had suffered harm under competition laws. X appealed the decision but has now dismissed its claims.
The suit was largely focused on the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), an initiative founded in 2019 by WFA members including Adidas, Mars, Mastercard, NBCUniversal, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Vodafone. It was designed to address digital safety and "harmful and misleading media environments" in service of protecting brands. Days after the lawsuit was filed, the WFA said GARM would be wound down . As part of the settlement, the WFA has agreed not to bring back GARM or establish a similar initiative.
"WFA reiterates its commitment to freedom of speech, a principle first included in WFA's founding constitution back in 1953, and a principle it shares with X," the statement reads. "WFA and X are fully aligned in the view that brands, platforms and consumers will all benefit from brand-safety innovation."
A joint statement from the WFA and X Corp.
Today the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and X Corp. are putting the litigation involving the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) behind them. This resets the relationship between the two organizations.
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