Google Uses Cox Ruling to Kill Last Copyright Claim in Textbook Piracy Lawsuit

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Google is trying to put an end to the copyright liability claim in its textbook piracy battle with several academic publishers. In a motion for partial judgment filed in a New York federal court, Google argues that the recent Supreme Court ruling in Cox v. Sony has effectively killed the copyright liability arguments. That is, unless the publishers can prove Google specifically “induced” infringement or built a service “tailored” exclusively for piracy.

Source: Google Uses Cox Ruling to Kill Last Copyright Claim in Textbook Piracy Lawsuit

Indie label group Futures Music raises $6m as it sets sights on catalog deals

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Futures Music Group, the independent label group founded in 2024 by Neon Gold’s Derek Davies and Avenue A’s Dave Wallace, has raised $6 million in seed funding from a group of music industry investors in the US and UK. Commenting on the investment, Blackburn said: “From an artist perspective, what matters most is having partners with great relationships and smart technology, who also understand the creative and don’t force a rigid system onto it.

Source: Indie label group Futures Music raises $6m as it sets sights on catalog deals

How will the major labels overcome the copyright threat from AI music? AI itself.

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In five years, the major music companies will not only be scouring the web for AI infringement, they will also be issuing legal letters directly to the perpetrators… using AI. Sound far-fetched? It isn’t. It’s sitting inside a pair of patent applications published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on February 12, 2026. What the filings describe is a sprawling end-to-end “media rights platform” that sits between rightsholders, generative AI systems, and the end users who want to prompt AI.

Source: How will the major labels overcome the copyright threat from AI music? AI itself.

Universal Music and Sony Music Aggressively Push to Obtain Warner Music’s Suno Agreement Terms

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The filing parties’ “request for documents regarding the Warner Music Group settlement and associated licensing is denied,” Judge Paul Levenson wrote, indicating as well that “the relevance of this information is marginal and the potential for chilling settlements—in this and other cases—is high.” But earlier this week, Universal Music and Sony Music submitted a 20-page objection to the denial.

Source: Universal Music and Sony Music Aggressively Push to Obtain Warner Music’s Suno Agreement Terms

Inside the UMG-backed patent portfolio targeting AI music derivatives

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UMG has been building a patent portfolio around AI-music infrastructure, through a partnership with IP asset management, investment, and advisory firm Liquidax Capital. The technology, depending on how it is commercially deployed, could potentially support a so-called ‘walled garden’ approach to AI-generated music derivatives, among other possible applications, which currently remain unclear.

Source: Inside the UMG-backed patent portfolio targeting AI music derivatives

Spotify to show AI tags in Song Credits

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Spotify has started testing a feature that shows whether artificial intelligence was used in making a song — but the tags only appear when an artist chooses to add them. The ‘AI Credits’ feature, currently in beta, was quietly disclosed within Spotify’s updated Support page. It shows AI contributions within the song credits section of Spotify’s mobile app. The move comes in response to growing pressure over AI-generated content on streaming platforms.

Source: Spotify to show AI tags in Song Credits

AI content marketplaces can’t come soon enough for news publishers

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UK media leaders grappled with five key challenges facing the news industry at Press Gazette’s Future of Media Trends event in London on Wednesday. The elephant in the room was the promise of AI content marketplaces which could start seeing publishers rewarded for the growing AI-powered news audience. There were no easy solutions on offer, but plenty of individual success stories.

Source: AI content marketplaces can’t come soon enough for news publishers

Anthropic’s Leaked Code Tests Copyright Challenges in A.I. Era

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For many software companies, as well as authors, artists and musicians, the risk is not just direct copying. It’s that the market for their work could be flooded with A.I.-generated substitutes that cost almost nothing to produce. “What happened with the Claude Code leak is essentially a preview of what’s coming for every creative industry,” said Russ Pearlman, a lawyer specializing in A.I. and technology. Existing copyright rules, he said, were built on the assumption that copying takes time and that there’s a meaningful window to take action to protect a work.

Source: Anthropic’s Leaked Code Tests Copyright Challenges in A.I. Era

Tuned Global launches streaming manipulation detection tool

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Tuned Global, the technology platform used by businesses to power licensed music and audio services, has launched what it calls a Service Manipulation Detection (SMD) system, designed to help streaming platforms and rightsholders identify and act on that activity. The offering, announced on Tuesday (April 21), monitors for manipulation tactics including bot usage, click farms, scripted listening and coordinated repeat plays – all of which can distort play counts, chart positions and royalty allocations.

Source: Tuned Global launches streaming manipulation detection tool 

YouTube expands its AI likeness detection technology to celebrities

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The technology works similarly to YouTube’s existing Content ID system, which detects copyright-protected material in users’ uploaded videos, allowing rights owners to request removal or share in the video’s revenue. Likeness detection does the same, but for simulated faces. The feature is meant to help protect creators and other public figures from having their identities used without their permission — a common problem for celebrities who find their likenesses have been used in scam advertisements.

Source: YouTube expands its AI likeness detection technology to celebrities

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