The European Commission is gathering feedback on challenges and options for potential future measures to support the impact of technology, including artificial intelligence, on the effective copyright protection amid market and technology developments of creative works and innovations. While the EU already benefits from a robust copyright framework, emerging challenges and market developments raise the question of whether the framework should be reinforced.
Rights
Indie publishers set out seven principles for AI licensing
IMPEL and IMPF published a joint licensing framework for generative AI Wednesday (September 30). The two independent music publishing organizations set out seven principles they say should govern generative AI licensing. The framework’s central demand is that the song not be treated as the junior partner to the recording. One principle is non-negotiable: the song must be properly valued and, absent other salient factors, at least equally with the recording,” they said in a joint statement.
Source: Indie publishers set out seven principles for AI licensing
Suno confirms V6 model was trained on ‘creations’ from users
The company set out that description in a statement responding to a second copyright lawsuit filed on Friday (September 18) by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in Boston federal court, where the labels’ original case against the company is already being heard. Suno said v6 was trained on “interactions including creations and preference signals” from its community.
Source: Suno confirms V6 model was trained on ‘creations’ from users
Soundtrack says UK businesses aren’t licensing music properly
The company has commissioned a survey of 1,070 business executives in the UK about how their companies use music, estimating that around 800,000 business locations there play music every day. However, 86% of those companies are playing that music through regular streaming services – Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and Amazon Music are all popular options – despite those consumer services not being licensed for business use.
Source: Soundtrack says UK businesses aren’t licensing music properly
SoundExchange strikes reciprocal agreement with the UAE’s MusicNation
SoundExchange has signed a reciprocal agreement with Music Nation Copyrights Management (MusicNation) covering neighboring rights in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The deal means artists and rights owners registered with SoundExchange will be paid when their recordings are played in the UAE, while Emirati creators will be paid when their music is played in the US.
Source: SoundExchange strikes reciprocal agreement with the UAE’s MusicNation
Microsoft exec called AI scraping ‘the largest theft of labor in human history,’
New unredacted information in the copyright lawsuit The New York Times brought against OpenAI and Microsoft three years ago reveals an admission that AI scraping was tantamount to theft, and that AI products pose a major threat to publications. Per the lawsuit, a top Microsoft executive privately described the companies’ AI training practices as “theft,” and OpenAI’s own leadership said its AI models posed an “existential threat” to publishers and journalists.
Source: Microsoft exec called AI scraping ‘the largest theft of labor in human history,’
YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon team up to charm Capitol Hill over sports rights
Streaming Access and Choice Alliance is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group that says its focus is “promot[ing] high-quality and high-value entertainment experiences for consumers.” What that really means is it’ll chat up Capitol Hill and try to convince U.S. lawmakers that streaming services have the right to sign exclusive air deals with major sports leagues. YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, and other streamers have signed increasingly larger deals to distribute live sports content.
Source: YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon team up to charm Capitol Hill over sports rights
ElevenLabs launched Music v2.5 – shortly after announcing its UMG licensing deal
ElevenLabs has released Music v2.5, the new model behind its ElevenMusic song-generation platform. The model went live on Friday (September 11) and is now the default “for prompted and reference generation” in ElevenMusic, the company said in a blog post.It landed a day after ElevenLabs announced a multi-year licensing agreement with Universal Music Group – a deal the company says is separate from the new model.
Source: ElevenLabs launched Music v2.5 – shortly after announcing its UMG licensing deal
Samsung moves to dismiss Dua Lipa’s $15M trademark lawsuit
Samsung has asked a federal judge to throw out Dua Lipa’s lawsuit over the use of her photograph on television packaging. The brief sets out four grounds. The first is that Lipa cannot sue for trademark infringement over a picture of her own face. Lipa sued Samsung on May 8, seeking at least USD $15 million in damages over an image she owns that was printed on the cardboard boxes of TVs sold across the US.
Source: Samsung moves to dismiss Dua Lipa’s $15M trademark lawsuit
Universal Music Group Sues DistroKid for Building an ‘AI-Slop Pipeline’
Universal Music Group sued the distribution service DistroKid on Tuesday, claiming in a federal lawsuit that the service infringed on the label’s copyright by pumping out “AI-generated ‘slop’ that siphons revenue and listeners from the legitimate artists and rightsholders.” UMG and its Capitol Records imprint claimed DistroKid improperly presented itself as a music distributor dedicated solely to serving artist-created work to distribution platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and more.
Source: Universal Music Group Sues DistroKid for Building an ‘AI-Slop Pipeline’