Warner Music Group and Paramount strike deal for theatrical films based on WMG artists

Paramount Pictures and Warner Music Group have announced a multi-year, first-look deal for theatrical films. The partnership will see the companies develop movies drawing on the lives and music of WMG‘s roster of artists and songwriters. Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, said: “This collaboration with Paramount unites two forward-looking and innovative companies, and together we’re taking a fresh approach to the space.”

Source: Warner Music Group and Paramount strike deal for theatrical films based on WMG artists

What the EU AI Omnibus Deal Changes for the AI Act and What Lies Ahead

Among the more substantial changes, the AI Omnibus introduces a new ban on “nudifier tools.” This was not part of the Commission’s original proposal and is already partially addressed through the Digital Services Act, the Directive on Violence Against Women, and national criminal law. However, the wave of sexual deepfakes generated by Grok last winter — involving millions of cases — prompted both Parliament and Member States to intervene directly at the level of AI models themselves.

Source: What the EU AI Omnibus Deal Changes for the AI Act and What Lies Ahead

Sony’s failed war against Internet piracy may doom other copyright lawsuits

Sony and other major record labels recently suffered a thorough defeat at the Supreme Court in their attempt to make Internet service providers pay huge financial penalties for their customers’ copyright infringement. Sony’s loss is certain to have wide-ranging effects on copyright lawsuits, offering protection for ISPs, their customers, and potentially other technology companies whose services can be used for both legal and illegal purposes.

Source: Sony’s failed war against Internet piracy may doom other copyright lawsuits

The $1.4 Billion Question: Will UMG Actually Share Its Spotify Stock Windfall With Artists?

Late last month, Universal Music Group (UMG) confirmed plans to sell 50% of its Spotify stock – while claiming that “artists will share in the proceeds.” But pressing questions remain about what this possible distribution will look like in practice. Those questions are taking center stage now that the dust has settled from UMG’s Spotify stock sale disclosure. As reported, Universal Music brass unveiled the divestment after Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square floated the idea of offloading the shares under a massive takeover proposal.

Source: The $1.4 Billion Question: Will UMG Actually Share Its Spotify Stock Windfall With Artists?

‘Avatar’ Suit Focuses on Hot Topic in A.I. Age: A Character’s Face

An actress accused the director James Cameron of stealing her likeness to create an “Avatar” character in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in California — a case that reflects a core fear among Hollywood performers in the artificial intelligence age: losing control of their own faces. The actress, Q’orianka Kilcher, also sued Disney, which controls the multibillion-dollar “Avatar” franchise, which started in 2009.

Source: ‘Avatar’ Suit Focuses on Hot Topic in A.I. Age: A Character’s Face

Writers Are Going to Extremes to Prove They Didn’t Use AI

Call it a reverse Turing Test. As AI-generated writing floods the internet, more people are trying to detect which creators are using such tools to spin up copy. That means writers penning all their own work—and people who acknowledge using chatbots for help—are trying to master something they never worried about before: how to sound human. Like many writers, Harvard fears being accused of wielding machine-made material. She’s seen it happen to others and is proactively trying to prove her human bona fides.

Source: Writers Are Going to Extremes to Prove They Didn’t Use AI

Bill in France would force AI firms to prove they didn’t use copyrighted content to train models

A coalition of 81 cultural and media organizations in France — spanning the music, film, publishing, and press industries — has called on the country’s National Assembly to schedule debate on a bill that would create a legal presumption that AI providers use copyrighted content. The bill was adopted unanimously by the French Senate last month. It has since been transmitted to the National Assembly, but has not yet been placed on the legislative agenda, a step the coalition says is now urgent.

Source: Bill in France would force AI firms to prove they didn’t use copyrighted content to train models

Five Publishers and Scott Turow Sue Meta and Mark Zuckerberg

Five major publishers — Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Elsevier and Cengage — and the best-selling novelist Scott Turow have filed a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta and its founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg. The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday morning in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses Meta and Zuckerberg of illegally using millions of copyrighted works to train their artificial intelligence program Llama

Source: Five Publishers and Scott Turow Sue Meta and Mark Zuckerberg

The US Copyright Office is hiking registration fees by 43%.

A group of ten music industry organizations formally opposed a proposed 43% average increase to copyright registration fees, arguing the hike would lock out independent creators out of the registration system. The filing was in response to the Copyright Office’s proposed fee schedule published in March 2026. The proposal reflects historic inflation since the last fee study in 2020 and projected inflation over the next three years, the Copyright Office said.

Source: The US Copyright Office is hiking registration fees by 43%.

The Audio Landscape is Overrun by AI ‘Podslop’—It’s Not Just a Music Industry Problem

It’s not exclusive to the music industry. The sheer volume of AI-generated podcast content is beginning to affect traditional discovery methods across the industry that podcast creators and their listeners rely on. Over a period of just nine days, nearly 39% of new podcast feeds were identified as potentially AI-generated. This rising trend in “podslop” was recently illustrated by data from the Podcast Index. Most of these shows target high-volume search terms, such as health and wellness or celebrity biographies.

Source: The Audio Landscape is Overrun by AI ‘Podslop’—It’s Not Just a Music Industry Problem

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