Headlines

No One Wants Apple To Scrape Their Websites for AI Training

A slew of major news publishers and top social media websites are blocking Apple from scraping their websites for AI training purposes. Per the report, media companies that have altered their robots.txt files to lock Applebot out include The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Financial Times, Gannett, Vox Media, and Condé Nast. On the social media side, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr all confirmed that they’ve blocked Apple from scraping their sites, as did the enduring internet elder Craiglist.

Source: No One Wants Apple To Scrape Their Websites for AI Training

OpenAI in Talks for Funding Round Valuing It Above $100 Billion

OpenAI is in talks to raise several billion dollars in a new funding round that would value the startup behind ChatGPT above $100 billion. The new funding round would be the biggest infusion of outside capital into OpenAI since Microsoft invested around $10 billion in January 2023. Since then, an arms race has developed in Silicon Valley to build the most advanced artificial-intelligence systems in an effort to dominate an industry many say will revolutionize the economy.

Source: OpenAI in Talks for Funding Round Valuing It Above $100 Billion

What Could Make Hollywood Stocks Investable Again?

Once upon a time, the industry had a reliable growth engine and consolidated content offering in the form of the cable bundle that came with 40 percent-plus profit margins. Then the streaming wars began in earnest as Disney+, Paramount+, Max, Peacock and more jumped into the space occupied by Netflix. That has left Hollywood companies in dire financial straits.

Source: Hollywood Stocks Are Difficult Investments. What Could Make Them More Investable Again?

The Overwhelming Majority of NFTs Are ‘Dead,’ Report Says

A report published earlier this month by NFTevening said that the market for NFTs has been in such a dramatic downturn since 2023 that 95 percent of them are considered “dead,” with the average NFT owner experiencing a 44.5 percent loss on their investment. According to NFTevening, the research was conducted with by examining more than 5,000 NFT collections and 5 million transactions from NFTScan.

Source: The Overwhelming Majority of NFTs Are ‘Dead,’ Report Says

Spotify Asks Court to Toss MLC Bundling & Royalties Lawsuit

Spotify has moved to dismiss with prejudice an unpaid-royalties lawsuit filed against it by the MLC over sweeping bundling reclassifications. “At the heart of this dispute is an easily answered question: Is audiobook streaming distinct from music streaming, offering greater than token value?” the motion sums up. “The answer is indisputably yes, and there is no need for federal court litigation to confirm it.”

Source: Spotify Asks Court to Toss MLC Bundling & Royalties Lawsuit

SAG-AFTRA Wins Passage of California Bill to Limit AI Replicas

A bill to protect performers from unauthorized AI replicas was approved by the California Senate on Tuesday and will soon head to the governor’s desk. SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, has made the bill one of its top legislative priorities this year. AB 2602 would require explicit consent for the use of a “digital replica” of a performer.

Source: SAG-AFTRA Wins Passage of California Bill to Limit AI Replicas

A third of all generative AI projects will be abandoned, says Gartner

Companies are “struggling” to find value in the generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) projects they have undertaken and one-third of initiatives will end up getting abandoned, according to a recent report by analyst Gartner. “After last year’s hype, executives are impatient to see returns on Gen AI investments, yet organizations are struggling to prove and realize value.

Source: A third of all generative AI projects will be abandoned, says Gartner

California Passes Law Requiring Consent for AI Digital Replicas of Dead Performers

The passage of AB 1836, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom, comes four days after the state Senate passed AB 2602, which toughens the consent requirements for the use of AI to replicate living performers. “For those who would use the digital replicas of deceased performers in films, TV shows, videogames, audiobooks, sound recordings and more, without first getting the consent of those performers’ estates, the California Senate just said NO,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.

Source: California Passes Law Requiring Consent for AI Digital Replicas of Dead Performers

Federal Lawmaker Urges Mechanical Licensing Collective Reforms

SGA, MCNA, and the Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) today reached out with a formal release doubling down on demands for “much-needed operational and structural improvements” to the Mechanical Licensing Collective. Those improvements were most recently described by Representative Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) in a letter to Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter late last month.

Source: Federal Lawmaker Urges Mechanical Licensing Collective Reforms

MPA Europe Chief Talks Hollywood’s Concerns as New EU Parliament Takes Charge

Following recent European Union elections held in June that saw far-right parties made significant gains, Hollywood is making moves to ensure that the new EU regime doesn’t draft new legislation that would be detrimental for studios and streamers. “We are at a moment when [EU] policies are not set in stone yet,” said Stan McCoy, who is the Motion Picture Assn.’s chief for Europe, speaking at the Venice Film Festival.

Source: MPA Europe Chief Stan McCoy Talks Hollywood’s Concerns as New EU Parliament Takes Charge

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