A federal appeals court ruled on Monday (January 12) that songwriters can use US copyright law to reclaim their songs worldwide, not just in the US, a decision that could change how the music industry handles decades-old agreements between songwriters and publishers. The decision centers on “termination rights,” a provision in copyright law that lets songwriters reclaim songs they sold off years earlier.
Policy
MLC vs. Spotify bundle battle intensifies as streamer opposes immediate appeal
Mechanical Licensing Collective is seeking an immediate appeal of a court ruling in its legal battle with Spotify over audiobook bundling and royalty payments. The request triggered a sharp procedural battle. In a 33-page opposition filed January 9 Spotify argued that The MLC waited nearly a year too long to request this type of expedited review and fails to meet the legal requirements for an immediate appeal.
Source: MLC vs. Spotify bundle battle intensifies as streamer opposes immediate appeal
X could ‘lose right to self regulate’, says Starmer
T
he UK will bring into force a law which will make it illegal to create non-consensual intimate images, following widespread concerns over Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot. Speaking to Labour MPs on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer warned X could lose the “right to self regulate”. “If X cannot control Grok, we will,” he said, adding the government would act quickly in response to the issue.
French Court Orders Google to Block Pirate Sites, Dismisses ‘Cloudflare-First’ Defense
The Paris Judicial Court has ordered Google to block nineteen additional pirate site domains through its public DNS resolver. The blockade was requested by Canal+ and aims to stop pirate streams of Champions League games. In its defense, Google argued that rightsholders should target intermediaries higher up the chain first, such as Cloudflare’s CDN, but the court rejected that.
X Sues Music Publishers Over “Weaponized” DMCA Takedown Conspiracy
Elon Musk’s X Corp. filed a landmark antitrust complaint against the NMPA, Sony, Universal, and other major music publishers, claiming that they used a coordinated “extortionate campaign” to force licensing deals. The lawsuit alleges that a flood of “baseless” DMCA notices targeted over 200,000 posts and suspended 50,000 users, allegedly to coerce X to sign industry-wide agreements.
Source: X Sues Music Publishers Over “Weaponized” DMCA Takedown Conspiracy * TorrentFreak
11th Cir.: YouTube not required to run Content ID to preserve DMCA safe harbor
YouTube was entitled to seek protection from the safe harbor provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act even though it had, but did not deploy, technology capable of identifying matches between videos identified in takedown requests and videos with similar content elsewhere on its service, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has held.
Source: 11th Cir.: YouTube not required to run Content ID to preserve DMCA safe harbor
The Question of AI and Copyright Infringement is Actually an Easy One
Much of the focus on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has been on training data ingestion—the moment when AI “steals” from creators. But legally, that’s not where the real fight should be. No new formulation of copyright law by Congress, as suggested by some academics, is necessary. By considering these seven unique aspects of GenAI systems, copyright analysis is actually easy.
Source: The Question of AI and Copyright Infringement is Actually an Easy One
Legal Paperwork Flies in Intensifying Universal Music v. Suno Suit
This latest indication of a protracted courtroom confrontation arrived in the form of a signed-and-sealed confidentiality order. Just recently approved by the magistrate judge, the modified order will afford both sides quite a bit of discretion to block the public disclosure of potentially sensitive discovery materials. Then there’s a distinct “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” designation for particularly sensitive documents, besides, among others, a “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” option.
Source: Legal Paperwork Flies in Intensifying Universal Music v. Suno Suit
Trump administration threatens Spotify, other EU firms over ‘discriminatory’ EU enforcement action
The Trump administration warned it may impose fees and restrictions on European companies operating in the US, including Spotify, if the European Union continues enforcing “discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives” against American service providers. The Office of the US Trade Representative issued the threat earlier this week, naming nine European companies that could face retaliation:
Source: Trump administration threatens Spotify, other EU firms over ‘discriminatory’ EU enforcement action
AI Model Training on Trial: Getty Images v Stability AI Decision Explained
In November 2025, the English High Court delivered judgment in Getty Images (US) Inc & Others v Stability AI Ltd EWHC 2863 (Ch). This is the first UK decision to directly address whether generative AI models constitute infringing copies under English copyright law when trained on copyrighted material.
Source: RDJ LLP | AI Model Training on Trial: Getty Images v Stability AI…