The "Cheese Tax" Dog Song Just Got Kroger and LG Sued Over Unpaid TikTok Ads

If“Cheese Tax”instantly plays in your head when someone opens a fridge, you’re not alone, and you’re about to find out who actually owns that earworm. Matthew Hobbs, the musician behind TikTok’s Puppy Songs account, filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Kroger and LG on Monday, claiming both companies used his 2023 viral track in commercial TikTok posts without synch licenses. Kroger allegedly used the song in a supermarket advertisement, while LG’s video featured a dog sitting beside an open refrigerator. The videos were removed in April 2026 after legal demands, but Hobbs says he has yet to be compensated and is seeking financial damages from both companies. He also hit LG with an additional claim over unauthorized removal of copyright management information.

The lawsuits point to a bigger pattern: brands treating trending sounds on social media like free real estate. Personally posting a song is one thing, but using it in a commercial post for a billion-dollar company requires a license, and music rightsholders have started enforcing that hard. For Kroger, this is the second music-related lawsuit in two months, following Sony Music’s August filing over posts that allegedly used songs by Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus and SZA. LG declined to comment, and Kroger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For creators, the message is clear: a viral moment is a business asset, and someone wrote it, recorded it and owns it. For listeners, it’s a reminder that the sounds you scroll past for free are somebody’s livelihood. So, which viral sound do you think deserves a proper paycheck? Drop your answer in the comments.