Headlines

Swiss lawmakers back media copyright fees for digital giants

Large online services such as Google and X should pay copyright fees when they display extracts from newspaper articles, says a Swiss parliamentary committee. However, the House of Representatives Committee for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF-N) wants to refer the corresponding bill back to the government and is calling for AI specific regulation. The new ancillary copyright for media and media professionals will therefore probably have to be dealt with once again by the national government.

Source: Swiss lawmakers back media copyright fees for digital giants

Spotify raises UK and Switzerland Premium prices as analysts see US hike by early 2026

Spotify is raising subscription prices in the UK for the second time in 18 months. The company is also increasing the price of its Premium plans in Switzerland. In the UK, the music streaming giant will be increasing its Premium individual monthly plan to £12.99from £11.99. The 8.3% increase marks the second time in 18 months that the company has raised UK prices by £1. The previous adjustment took effect in April 2024.

Source: Spotify raises UK and Switzerland Premium prices again as analysts see US hike by early 2026

Australia rejects proposal that would have exempted AI training from copyright laws

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the Labor Party government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would not move forward on a proposal to give tech companies an exemption to copyright laws for text and data mining (TDM). Instead, Rowland suggested the government would be looking to establish a licensing system for copyrighted content used in training AI.

Source: Australia rejects proposal that would have exempted AI training from copyright laws

AI companies steal publisher traffic then undermine trust by getting answers wrong

Research points to a generally corrosive impact of AI answer engines on the news ecosystem, getting answers wrong and undermining trust. It found that the likes of Perplexity and Google AI Overviews are stealing publisher traffic but also contributing to declining trust in the news industry by giving distorted answers. The research concludes: “If AI assistants are not yet a reliable way to access the news, but many consumers trust them to be accurate, we have a problem.”

Source: AI companies steal publisher traffic then undermine trust by getting answers wrong

WGA Says Warner Bros. Merger Would Be a ‘Disaster’ for Writers

The Writers Guild of America came out swinging on Thursday against a merger between Warner Bros. and any other studio, saying such consolidation would be a “disaster” for writers. “Merger after merger in the media industry has harmed workers, diminished competition and free speech, and wasted hundreds of billions of dollars better invested in organic growth,” the WGA East and West said in a statement Thursday.

Source: WGA Says Warner Bros. Merger Would Be a ‘Disaster’ for Writers

Wonder Studios, backed by OpenAI, DeepMind execs, raised $12M 

London-based AI creative studio Wonder Studios has raised $12 million in seed funding to scale production amid a push to bring AI-generated content into the entertainment industry. The round was led by Atomico, alongside existing investors LocalGlobe and Blackbird, and builds on Wonder’s pre-seed investment, which included executives from ElevenLabs, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI.

Source: Wonder Studios, backed by OpenAI, DeepMind execs, raised $12M to bring AI content to Hollywood  | TechCrunch

YouTube paid out $8B to the music industry in 12 months

YouTube has paid more than $8 billion to the music industry in the 12 months between July 2024 and July 2025, the company announced on Thursday. “Today’s $8 billion payout is a testament to the fact that the twin engine of ads and subscriptions is firing on all cylinders,” said YouTube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen in a statement.

Source: YouTube paid out $8B to the music industry in 12 months | TechCrunch

Ex-Lawmakers & Many Others Submit Cox v. Sony Amicus Briefs

The Cox v. Sony Music amicus briefs flurry isn’t letting up
ahead of the high-stakes Cox v. Sony Music Supreme Court arguments, and former members of Congress, SoundExchange, and many others are weighing in. And the way they see things, adopting Cox’s “unduly narrow standard for contributory infringement would violate a half century of case law and sound policy that is critical to maintaining the economic viability and artistic integrity of the artist and music community.”

Source: Ex-Lawmakers & Many Others Submit Cox v. Sony Amicus Briefs

ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN will accept registrations of ‘partially’ AI-generated musical works

The three major North American PROs say that they will now accept registrations of “partially” AI-generated musical works These works can now be registered directly with the individual societies. All three PROs’ registration policies define a partially AI-generated musical work as one that “combines elements of AI-generated musical content with elements of human authorship”.

Source: ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN will now accept registrations of ‘partially’ AI-generated musical works

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