John August, co-chair of the WGA Negotiating Committee, said Tuesday that the union will seek to affirm the principle that writers should be paid for derivative uses of their work, including AI training. In the last go-round, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers refused to accept any limitations on the use of scripts — which they own — to train AI models.
Source: WGA to Seek Payment for AI Training on Scripts as Talks With Studios Set to Begin
According to a report in The Times on Friday (March 6), a “commercial research exception” is one of a number of proposals officials are preparing ahead of a parliamentary statement on copyright reform, due on March 18. Under the proposal, AI developers would be free to use copyrighted material for training purposes without obtaining permission, but would need to secure licences from rights holders before bringing any resulting products to market.
Source: UK government weighs copyright ‘commercial research exception’ for AI Use
Many have compared Suno, and the rise of generative AI music in general, to Napster’s launch at the turn of the century, which upended album sales and led to the darkest financial decade in recorded-music history. Suno could disrupt music consumption, like Napster and Spotify once did. But it’s also doing something different: disrupting the sacred act of creation itself.
Source: Is Suno the Music Industry’s Biggest Nightmare — or Greatest Hope?
A coalition of independent musicians from across the United States has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Google over more than just allegations that the company’s AI models rely on stealing and copying original works. In fact, this lawsuit could be the “broadest, most comprehensive attack on the business model of AI-generated music.”
Source: Indie Artist Coalition Files Major Lawsuit Against Google Over AI Copyright Theft
YouTube is adding a detection tool for government officials, candidates and journalists to catch and report videos that display their likeness without permission. The pilot program is arriving as social media companies and a patchwork of new laws start to address the problem of these so-called deepfakes. But the companies have largely relied on users to report fake material.
Source: YouTube Adds Tool to Help Public Figures Report Fake Videos
A packed courtroom in Munich on Monday (March 9) heard oral proceedings in the copyright case brought by Germany’s GEMA against AI music generator Suno. The collecting society alleges that Suno used, stored and reproduced copyrighted recordings of world-famous songs to train its AI tool. The hearing ended without a ruling. A decision date has been set for June 12, 2026.
Source: GEMA vs. Suno: German court hears landmark AI music copyright case
A new collective licensing scheme for the “fair and lawful” use of content in AI products has launched in the UK. The project is being led by non-profit organisation Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) and is open to all types of small and large content publishers including magazines, digital news media, books and academic publications (whether they are currently PLS members or not).
Source: New AI licensing scheme to help smaller publishers strike deals with platforms
Corporate and financial strategic communications firm Fourth Pillar has announced the findings of its inaugural Music Investment Barometer, the first dedicated study designed to track sentiment across the global music investment community. The Barometer illustrates that music rights dealmaking is expanding in volume, appeal, and sophistication, driven by music’s positive growth outlook.
Source: First Study of Investor Sentiment Reveals Inner Workings of Music Investment
To help train AI models, Meta and other tech companies have downloaded and shared pirated books via BitTorrent from Anna’s Archive and other shadow libraries. In an ongoing lawsuit, Meta now argues that uploading pirated books to strangers via BitTorrent qualifies as fair use. The company also stresses that the data helped establish U.S. global leadership in AI.
Source: Uploading Pirated Books via BitTorrent Qualifies as Fair Use, Meta Argues
Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl is lauding artificial intelligence’s perceived ability to unlock value. But the technology is eliciting a far different response in South Korea, where industry orgs are coordinating to address the “unprecedented disruption” ushered in by gen AI. Technically, the group behind the initiative, the K-Music Rights Organizations Mutual Growth Committee, formally set sail on February 26th.
Source: As Robert Kyncl Embraces AI, South Korea’s Music Industry ‘Declares War’