Universal Music Group, Concord Publishing, and ABKCO Music & Records File Lawsuit Against AI Startup Anthropic
Universal Music Group (UMG), Concord Publishing, and ABKCO Music & Records have filed a lawsuit against the artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic. The lawsuit alleges that Anthropic has committed copyright infringement in training its AI chatbot Claude.
Accusations of Copyright Infringement
The lawsuit was filed on October 18th and claims that Anthropic unlawfully copied and disseminated copyrighted works, including lyrics to numerous musical compositions owned or controlled by the publishers. It accuses Anthropic of widespread and systematic infringement, stating that the defendant cannot use copyrighted works without proper rights to build a business.
The lawsuit emphasizes that the principle of copyright law applies regardless of whether a company labels its infringement as “AI.” It alleges that Claude can generate identical or nearly identical copies of songs such as “What a Wonderful World,” “Gimme Shelter,” “American Pie,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and more than 500 others.
Examples of Replication
The publishers provided examples of Claude replicating UMG’s song “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor almost word for word. They are seeking an order from the court to put an end to the alleged infringement and monetary damages.
Increase in AI Copyright Infringement Cases
This lawsuit is one of many cases emerging against major AI developers for copyright infringement. OpenAI, the developer of AI chatbot ChatGPT, is facing a similar lawsuit from the Author’s Guild. Meta is currently being sued by author Sarah Silverman and others for copyright issues. Google is also involved in a lawsuit regarding its data scraping policy for AI training purposes.
UMG’s Efforts to Protect Artist Rights
UMG has been proactive in protecting its catalogue and the rights of its artists from AI-related copyright violations. On October 18th, UMG entered into a strategic partnership with BandLab Technologies to focus on ethical AI usage and protect artist and songwriter rights.
During the summer, UMG and Google were reportedly in talks to develop a tool that allows for the creation of AI tracks using artists’ likenesses in a legal manner.
Hot Take: Music Industry Takes a Stand Against AI Copyright Violations
The lawsuit filed by UMG, Concord Publishing, and ABKCO Music & Records against Anthropic highlights the music industry’s growing concerns about AI-related copyright infringement. As AI technology becomes more advanced, it is crucial to establish clear guidelines and regulations to protect the rights of artists and publishers. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for future disputes involving AI developers. It also underscores the need for collaboration between the music industry and AI developers to ensure ethical usage of AI technology while respecting intellectual property rights.
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