The world’s largest music rights company announced Tuesday (January 6) a strategic collaboration with AI computing giant NVIDIA, the world’s most valuable company by market capitalization, currently valued at approximately $4.56 trillion. According to a press release, the partnership will see NVIDIA and UMG “undertake collaborative research and development to promote shared objectives of advancing human music creation and rightsholder compensation.”
Interactive AI Features in E-books, Audiobooks Drive Debate
Amazon’s “Ask this Book” and ElevenLabs’ “VoiceChat” features add a new layer of AI-powered interactivity between books and readers—and raise questions about the legality and reliability of such tools. “‘Ask this Book’ is designed as a reading comprehension tool for customers who have already purchased or borrowed books, providing factual information to help them better understand what they’re reading, with answers that are non-shareable and non-copyable,” an Amazon spokesperson told PW.
Source: Interactive AI Features in E-books, Audiobooks Drive Debate
The Question of AI and Copyright Infringement is Actually an Easy One
Much of the focus on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has been on training data ingestion—the moment when AI “steals” from creators. But legally, that’s not where the real fight should be. No new formulation of copyright law by Congress, as suggested by some academics, is necessary. By considering these seven unique aspects of GenAI systems, copyright analysis is actually easy.
Source: The Question of AI and Copyright Infringement is Actually an Easy One
Napster Music Streaming Service Abruptly Shuts Down, Pivots to AI
Back in November, Napster’s $3 billion funding apparently fell through, leaving the music streaming platform’s future uncertain. Now, the company has abruptly shuttered its music streaming capabilities—while users were actively using the service—in its broader pivot to AI assistants. The pivot into AI isn’t unexpected—the brand was purchased by AI company Infinite Reality last year—but for users of the music streaming service, to call it jarring is an understatement.
Source: Napster Music Streaming Service Abruptly Shuts Down, Pivots to AI
Legal Paperwork Flies in Intensifying Universal Music v. Suno Suit
This latest indication of a protracted courtroom confrontation arrived in the form of a signed-and-sealed confidentiality order. Just recently approved by the magistrate judge, the modified order will afford both sides quite a bit of discretion to block the public disclosure of potentially sensitive discovery materials. Then there’s a distinct “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” designation for particularly sensitive documents, besides, among others, a “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” option.
Source: Legal Paperwork Flies in Intensifying Universal Music v. Suno Suit
Trump administration threatens Spotify, other EU firms over ‘discriminatory’ EU enforcement action
The Trump administration warned it may impose fees and restrictions on European companies operating in the US, including Spotify, if the European Union continues enforcing “discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives” against American service providers. The Office of the US Trade Representative issued the threat earlier this week, naming nine European companies that could face retaliation:
Source: Trump administration threatens Spotify, other EU firms over ‘discriminatory’ EU enforcement action
AI Model Training on Trial: Getty Images v Stability AI Decision Explained
In November 2025, the English High Court delivered judgment in Getty Images (US) Inc & Others v Stability AI Ltd EWHC 2863 (Ch). This is the first UK decision to directly address whether generative AI models constitute infringing copies under English copyright law when trained on copyrighted material.
Source: RDJ LLP | AI Model Training on Trial: Getty Images v Stability AI…
Shadow ‘Archive’ Says It Copied Virtually All of Spotify’s Music
Anna’s Archive, the shadow library best known for making pirated ebooks and academic papers searchable, announced this weekend what might be the largest music piracy operation in history: “We backed up Spotify.” The group claims it scraped 86 million audio files from Spotify, representing 99.6% of everything people actually listen to on the platform. Total size: just under 300 terabytes, distributed through bulk torrents.
Source: Shadow ‘Archive’ Says It Copied Virtually All of Spotify’s Music – Decrypt
A DMCA “Bot War”: Google Search Processed 5 Billion Takedown Requests in 2025
Google Search has reached a staggering new DMCA takedown milestone, processing over five billion copyright removal requests in 2025. Driven by a massive automated reporting spike, mostly from Link-Busters, the total all-time count has now eclipsed 15.8 billion. Not all reported URLs are actually removed, however. In fact, many were not even indexed by Google to begin with, which is another side effect of the ‘bot war’.
Source: A DMCA “Bot War”: Google Search Processed 5 Billion Takedown Requests in 2025 * TorrentFreak
Facebook tests charging users to share links in potential blow for news outlets
Facebook is testing a system that charges users for sharing web links, in a move that could prove to be a further blow to news outlets and other publishers. Meta, the social media platform’s owner, said it is carrying out a “limited test” in which those without a paid Meta Verified subscription, costing at least £9.99 a month, can only post two external links a month.
Source: Facebook tests charging users to share links in potential blow for news outlets