OpenAI must produce millions of anonymized chat logs from ChatGPT users in its high-stakes copyright dispute with the New York Times and other news outlets, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona Wang in a decision made public on Wednesday that the 20 million logs were relevant to the outlets’ claims and that handing them over would not risk violating users’ privacy.Source: OpenAI loses fight to keep ChatGPT logs secret in copyright case
Meta has signed AI content licensing deals with major publishers including People Inc, CNN and Fox News. The Facebook owner said the deals will help it provide a wider variety of real-time content, including global news, entertainment and lifestyle, on its Meta AI assistant. It noted it will be linking out to the publishers and “allowing you to visit these partners’ websites for more details while providing value to partners, enabling them to reach new audiences”.
The newspaper alleged Perplexity AI had distributed and displayed journalists’ work without permission en masse. The Times said that Perplexity AI was also violating its trademarks under the Lanham Act, claiming the startup’s generative AI products create fabricated content, or “hallucinations”, and falsely attribute them to the newspaper by displaying them alongside its registered trademarks.
Source: New York Times sues AI startup for ‘illegal’ copying of millions of articles
The partnership, announced Tuesday (December 2), gives the startup access to recordings from Merlin‘s membership of independent labels and distributors spanning more than 70 countries. Combined with its June licensing deal with Warner Music, Singa is assembling a catalog of original masters and “not reproductions or soundalike versions.” Previously, karaoke companies relied on recreated versions of popular songs due to licensing restrictions with major labels.
Source: Karaoke startup Singa strikes licensing deal with indie music rep Merlin
The track, credited to Haven (the project of producer Harrison Walker), went viral on TikTok in October and was on course to chart in both the UK and US before being removed from streaming services following takedown notices alleging artist impersonation. In a statement published via Instagram, FAMM alleged that Walker “used AI to make his voice sound like Jorja’s and had used Jorja’s name (without permission) suggesting to the public that it was actually Jorja singing.”
News Corp Australia has launched a licence agreement to give corporate Australia new confidence to download, share and copy content from across the publisher’s professional and extensive news, information and entertainment network, helping reduce the legal and financial risk copyright infringement poses. Importantly, given the rise of artificial intelligence, the licence also caters for copyrighted content to be used as a prompt in AI tools as well as delivering predictable value and ease of compliance.
Source: News Corp Launches Downloadable Copyright Licence Agreement – Content + Technology
A legal battle that began over a Sarah Connor album posted on a German pirate site has escalated into a landmark case that will shape EU copyright law. The lawsuit between Universal Music and Cloudflare has reached the highest German court, which recently asked the EU’s top court to step in. At stake is the legal definition of “temporary caching” and whether CDNs face the same liability risks as content platforms.
Founded in Montreal in 2021, Xposure Music is described as a “technology-driven financing and investment platform for independent music rights”. Xposure Music says on its website that it has deployed funding to nearly 100 artists in the past 18 months, and that with this new infusion of capital, the company plans to “scale its efforts, funding additional artists and acquiring catalogs at a larger volume”.
Source: Xposure Music secures $42.5m in fresh capital for indie catalog acquisitions
The latest industry entity to have its say on the recent spate of major-label deals with AI-music companies is ECSA. “So far, both UMG and WMG have underlined that their recently announced agreements with Udio and Suno – which appear to cover both rights over the recording as well as the song rights – will empower and protect artists and songwriters, but provided very little detail about the involvement, consent and remuneration of music authors and artists,” The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance said.
Source: ECSA warns majors off ‘undervaluing song rights’ in AI deals
In a blog post published late Wednesday (November 19), Kyncl outlined WMG’s approach to generative AI partnerships, emphasizing that the major label will only work with companies that commit to licensed models, properly value music economically, and give artists control over the use of their name, image, likeness, and voice. The timing of Kyncl’s message is particularly significant.