The new company, Spines, will charge authors between $1,200 and $5,000 to have their books edited, proofread, formatted, designed and circulated with the help of artificial intelligence, but it’s already cooked up a storm in the book world. Book industry figures have described the team behind a publishing AI startup as “dingbats”, “opportunists” and “extractive capitalists”.
Spines and the rise of AI book publishers
OpenAI sued by Canada’s biggest media outlets
A host of Canadian media companies filed a lawsuit against OpenAI today, alleging “inappropriate and illegal” use of their journalism to power the company’s GPT model, Reuters reports. It’s the latest salvo fired by the media in its fight against AI companies that have scraped large swaths of the open web to train their large-language models.
Canada Sues Google, Alleging Anticompetitive Online-Ad Practices
Canada’s antitrust watchdog alleges that Google acted unlawfully in building market share in the online-advertising business. In a notice filed Thursday with Canada’s Competition Tribunal, the watchdog—known as the Competition Bureau—said it seeks to “put a decisive end to Google’s structural dominance and anticompetitive practice, [and] restore competition” in the country’s online-advertising marketplace.
Source: Canada Sues Google, Alleging Anticompetitive Online-Ad Practices
OpenAI Shuts Down Sora Access After Artists Released Video-Generation Tool in Protest
OpenAI granted early access to Sora, its new generative-AI video tool, to some 300 visual artists and filmmakers to “gain feedback” on the technology. The tech company got it — but not the kind it was hoping for. On Tuesday, a group of Sora testers released a version of the tool publicly alongside a manifesto decrying OpenAI’s program as exploitative and “more about PR and advertisement.”
Senate Bill Eyes Transparency in Use of Copyrighted Works
Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced the Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act on Monday in the latest effort to shield songwriters, musicians and other creators from the unauthorized use of their works in training generative AI models. If successful, the legislation would grant copyright holders access to training records, enabling them to verify if their creations were used.
Source: Senate Bill Targets AI ‘Black Box’ Problem, Eyes Transparency in Use of Copyrighted Works
Supreme Court Seeks U.S. Govt’s View on ‘Repeat Infringer’ Piracy Cases
The Supreme Court has signaled its interest in a landmark case that could redefine anti-piracy enforcement. By calling on the Solicitor General to weigh in on the “repeat infringer” dispute between Cox Communications and several record labels, it has become more likely that the Supreme Court will eventually share its opinion on the “billion dollar” piracy controversy.
Source: Supreme Court Seeks U.S. Govt’s View on ‘Repeat Infringer’ Piracy Cases * TorrentFreak
Warning of imminent, ‘irreparable’ fracture of news landscape without action
The UK’s news landscape could fracture “irreparably” in the next five to ten years with “grim” implications, a new Parliamentary report has warned. The report made recommendations for action that could help stave off some of the challenges, ranging from firmer action on AI copyright theft to the creation of news “accelerators” and tax breaks for local journalism.
Source: Warning of imminent, ‘irreparable’ fracture of news landscape without action
UMG: Fred Durst’s $200m lawsuit over alleged unpaid royalties is ‘based on a fallacy’
Durst and Limp Bizkit sued UMG last month, claiming that the major music company “designed and implemented royalty software and systems that were deliberately designed to conceal artists’ (including Plaintiffs’) royalties and keep those profits for itself.” In a motion to dismiss filed in California on Friday (November 22), UMG writes that Durst et al.’s “complaint is based on a fallacy” and “should be dismissed with prejudice”.
The Art of Attribution and Three Unlikely Theories of AI Authorship
The oral arguments in Thaler explored the contours of “traditional authorship” through two illuminating hypotheticals posed by Judge Millett: the Kodak camera and the printer malfunction. These examples help map a spectrum of human involvement in creative works and highlight the challenges in placing AI-generated works within existing doctrine.
Source: The Art of Attribution and Three Unlikely Theories of AI Authorship
Hollywood unions are facing an uphill battle against Trump, AI and the slowdown
SAG-AFTRA and the video game companies are resuming contract negotiations for the first time since video game actors went on strike. SAG-AFTRA is seeking a contract that will require game developers to obtain informed consent and compensate video game performers when using the technology to digitally replicate their voices, movements or likenesses.
Source: Hollywood unions are facing an uphill battle against Trump, AI and the slowdown