An architect of EU copyright law has said legislation is needed to protect writers, musicians and creatives left exposed by an “irresponsible” legal gap in the bloc’s Artificial Intelligence Act. Axel Voss, a German centre-right member of the European parliament, who played a key role in writing the EU’s 2019 copyright directive, said that law was not conceived to deal with generative AI models.
Source: EU accused of leaving ‘devastating’ copyright loophole in AI Act
The question is front of mind on the heels of Spotify’s latest teaser for a superfan-geared offering, which reports have referred to as Supremium, Deluxe, and Music Pro alike over the years. Against the backdrop of streaming-growth slowdowns in established markets, it makes more sense than ever (in theory) to squeeze additional revenue out of diehard fans. But not everyone is on board with Spotify’s expansion ambitions.
The design of the new initiative is yet to be determined, and a consultation paper on the code was due to be released early this year. But the threat of retaliatory tariffs from the US have fuelled concerns the news bargaining incentive, announced in December, could be delayed.
Source: Labor moving too slowly on making big tech pay Australian media for news, Coalition and Greens say
The Director General of The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) has suggested there is evidence that this could be the case. “DeepSeek falls into the category of AI companies choosing to scrape the internet’s content, including the world’s copyright protected music, [and] use it for commercial purposes, without a license from rightholders and creators,” ICMP Director General John Phelan wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Source: Is DeepSeek training its AI on copyrighted music without permission?
News organizations, book publishers, and now music companies want to join a copyright infringement suit against OpenAI being heard by a court in Delhi. The music companies are “concerned OpenAI and other AI systems can extract lyrics, music compositions, and sound recordings from the internet,” an unnamed industry source told Reuters.
Source: Record companies in India want to join a lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI
A new music application called MashApp that allows users to create real-time “mashups” of popular music tracks officially launched in the US on Tuesday (February 18). The app, initially available on iOS devices, has secured licensing deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Kobalt Music. This means users can access an extensive catalog of popular hits to mix and match.
Source: Universal, Warner, and Sony ink licensing deals with new music creation/social app, MashApp
A U.S. federal judge last week handed down a summary judgment in a case brought by tech conglomerate Thomson Reuters against legal tech firm Ross Intelligence. The judge found that Ross’ use of Reuters’ content to train its AI legal research platform infringed on Reuters’ intellectual property. The outcome could have implications for the more than 39 copyright-related AI lawsuits currently working their way through U.S. courthouses.
Source: What the US’ first major AI copyright ruling might mean for IP law | TechCrunch
The Mechanical Licensing Collective is asking a federal court to reconsider its dismissal of a lawsuit centering on Spotify’s bundling. The MLC just recently submitted that motion for reconsideration, after a federal judge about two weeks back tossed the relevant complaint with prejudice. As the Mechanical Licensing Collective sees things, the court erred when deeming Spotify Premium a bundle despite the availability of audiobooks before the bundling-classification pivot had been made official.
Source: Mechanical Licensing Collective Targets Spotify Suit Dismissal
According to MIDiA’s newest report, “Audio’s entertainment value: Examining audio listeners’ cross-entertainment lives”, podcasts and audiobooks have the potential to provide music rightsholders with one of the highest value audience segments out there. Across the board, data shows audio listeners are more willing than music streamers to engage with digital marketing efforts like pre-saves, add music to their collections, listen to full albums on streaming services, and listen to songs they have Shazamed.
Source: The audio listener is too valuable for the music industry to ignore
The Guardian has become the latest news publisher to sign a deal with ChatGPT owner OpenAI over content licensing. The deal will ensure The Guardian receives compensation for the use of its journalism on ChatGPT and gets properly credited on the platform. Under the deal The Guardian will also be able to use OpenAI technology in-house.
Source: Guardian signs licensing deal with ChatGPT owner OpenAI