Policy

Google is testing the ‘impact’ of removing EU news from search results

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As Google continues to navigate its relationship with publishers, regulators, and news readers, the company is starting a pretty drastic test: it will remove news articles from European Union-based publishers from Search. Google says it’s running the “time-limited” test because EU regulators and publishers “have asked for additional data about the effect of news content in Search.” The company says it will continue to show results from websites and news publishers located outside the EU.

Source: Google is testing the ‘impact’ of removing EU news from search results

UMG sues Believe and TuneCore for $500 million 

The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and focuses in part on the dissemination of so-called ‘manipulated’ audio. It alleges that Believe has built its business through “industrial-scale copyright infringement” of “the world’s most popular copyrighted recordings.”

Source: UMG sues Believe and TuneCore for $500 million, alleging ‘industrial-scale copyright infringement’

The Elephant in the Room in the Google Search Case: Generative AI 

Large language models (LLMs) like Gemini require access to massive amounts of training data to be effective. Simply put, Google is able to gain an advantage in training its own generative AI models because of the massive amounts of user data it derived from illegally maintaining a monopoly across Search. Real-time data about what, when, and how people search the internet every day is only the beginning.

Source: The Elephant in the Room in the Google Search Case: Generative AI | TechPolicy.Press

US laws regulating AI prove elusive, but there may be hope

In March, Tennessee became the first state to protect voice artists from unauthorized AI cloning. This summer, Colorado adopted a tiered, risk-based approach to AI policy. And in September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed dozens of AI-related safety bills, a few of which require companies to disclose details about their AI training. But the U.S. still lacks a federal AI policy comparable to the EU’s AI Act.

Source: US laws regulating AI prove elusive, but there may be hope

AI Rules in Britain Test Global Content Rights Balance 

Britain is moving to let artificial intelligence (AI) companies freely scrape online content unless publishers block them — a policy shift the BBC and other major media companies are fighting. The showdown could influence AI policy beyond Britain’s borders as global content publishers and tech firms watch to see whether content scraping becomes the default standard in advanced economies.

Source: AI Rules in Britain Test Global Content Rights Balance | PYMNTS.com

Meta Denied Regulator’s Request to Test Rights Manager’s Effectiveness 

Prompted by concerns aired by photographers, French telecoms regulator Arcom sought to evaluate content recognition tools deployed at online content-sharing platforms. Meta’s Rights Manager and Pinterest’s Claim Portal were of particular interest, but both companies denied Arcom’s request to measure their effectiveness. Despite the regulator’s authority under law, private agreements with rightsholders took priority.

Source: Meta Denied Regulator’s Request to Test Rights Manager’s Effectiveness * TorrentFreak

UK prime minister: AI companies should pay publishers for content

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in a letter to the News Media Association that his government “recognizes the basic principle” that publishers should seek compensation for the use of their content by artificial intelligence companies. Marking the start of the NMA‘s annual “Journalism Matters” week, the Labour leader said both AI and the media were “central” to the government’s growth goals and he hoped to “rebalance” the relationship between platforms and publishers using the Digital Markets and Consumers Act.

Source: Keir Starmer: AI companies should pay publishers for content

UK’s culture secretary talks streaming economy and AI music

The UK’s new culture secretary Lisa Nandy gave a speech at the Beyond the Music conference in Manchester with some hints on its music plans. That included a nod to the debates about streaming. “While it’s made music more freely available, it’s created shockwaves for songwriters, publishers, record labels and streaming platforms,” said Nandy.

Source: UK’s culture secretary talks streaming economy and AI music

2 Live Crew Wins Back Copyright Control of Their Work

Classic hip-hop group 2 Live Crew have won a jury verdict allowing them to regain legal control of the majority of their catalog from a small record label that has owned their copyrights for decades. Attorneys for Lil Joe Records, which bought the band’s catalog out of bankruptcy back in 1996, insisted that termination shouldn’t apply to 2 Live Crew’s albums, arguing the catalog was “work for hire.” But 2 Live Crew’s attorneys countered that the right to terminate was “inalienable” and couldn’t be forfeited, with which the jury agreed.

Source: 2 Live Crew Wins Back Copyright Control of Their Work

AI regulation gets a bad rap—but lawmakers around the world are doing a decent job 

The implementation of the EU’s AI Act is the most recent in a series of laws emanating from Brussels that have divided opinion, hot on the heels of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which came into force in 2018 and 2023 respectively. Yes, the act undoubtedly has flaws, but its pros far outweigh its cons.

Source: AI regulation gets a bad rap—but lawmakers around the world are doing a decent job so far

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