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’
UMG’s earnings call included some interesting nuggets on the company’s AI strategy, including chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge delivering a carefully-tuned message to investors. “I’m very aware that a large swath of the investment community looks at the intersection of AI and media and sees only some of the risks,” he said. “I want to be very clear, we fundamentally disagree with that view. We believe AI represents an unprecedented commercial opportunities for UMG and our artists.
Source: UMG boss sees AI as more than just a risk for media industries
In a filing made March 6 in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 13 book and journal publishers filed suit seeking a permanent injunction to stop Anna’s Archive from copying and distributing millions of infringing files. The suit highlights the magnitude of the material Anna’s Archive has stolen and the unorthodox methods it uses to monetize the material.
Source: Publishers Charge Anna’s Archive with Copyright Infringement
Artists of any level are encouraged to “adapt, remix, or reimagine works published in 1930 or earlier.” Selected submissions will featured by WNYC and preserved in the Internet Archive’s digital library, where they’ll become part of a permanent, publicly accessible collection. Besides its legal concept, the public domain is a resource ripe for creative inspiration.
Source: WNYC and the Internet Archive Invite Musicians to ‘Reimagine the Public Domain’
According to a newsletter sent to music industry partners about the new system, Apple Music advises that tags should be applied when a “material portion” of the content has used AI. “These new tagging requirements provide a concrete first step toward the transparency necessary for the industry to establish best practices and policies that work for everyone,” the announcement reads.
Source: Apple Music Introduces Tagging for AI Songs, Its First Regulation on AI Use
The UK’s creative industries must not be sacrificed in the pursuit of speculative gains in AI technology, a House of Lords committee has warned, as the government prepares to reveal the economic cost of proposals to change copyright rules. A report by peers has urged ministers to develop a licensing regime for the use of creative works in AI products and abandon proposals to let tech firms use them without permission.
Source: UK arts must not be sacrificed for speculative AI gains, peers say