Stuart Dredge’s Post

US labels body the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA) is suing two of the most prominent AI music startups, Suno and Udio, accusing both of copyright infringement “on a massive scale”. All three major labels are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuits – Sony Music Entertainnment, UMG Recordings and Warner Records specifically. The body is seeking declaratory judgments that Suno and Udio infringed the labels’ sound recordings; injunctions barring them from doing that in the future; and statutory damages of up to $150k per work infringed, plus legal costs. The lawsuits have been filed under existing copyright laws, and thus focus on the technical aspects of how labels believe the two companies have infringed. “Building and operating [these services] requires at the outset copying and ingesting massive amounts of data to ‘train’ a software ‘model’ to generate outputs,” is how one section of the filings laud this out. “This process involved copying decades worth of the world’s most popular sound recordings and then ingesting those copies [to] generate outputs that imitate the qualities of genuine human sound recordings.” Read our full story on the Music Ally website: we've added in more context on Suno and Udio; why labels are suing (and why they're suing these companies specifically); and our predictions on what happens next. We'll also update it with any public responses from the two startups, who we are reaching out to for comment. https://lnkd.in/eMABjtMi

Several weeks after being targeted with copyright infringement lawsuits, AI music startups Suno and Udio have now accused the record labels that filed them of attempting to stifle competition within the music industry. Both companies admitted to training their music-generating AI models on copyrighted materials in separate legal filings, arguing that doing so is lawful under fair-use doctrine. The lawsuits against Suno and Udio were raised in June by the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA), a group representing major record labels like Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Records. Both cases accuse Suno and Udio of committing “copyright infringement involving unlicensed copying of sound recordings on a massive scale.” The RIAA is seeking damages of up to $150,000 for every work infringed. In their responses, both Suno and Udio say the lawsuits highlight the music industry’s opposition to competition. “Helping people generate new artistic expression is what copyright law is designed to encourage, not prohibit,” Udio wrote in its filing. “Under longstanding doctrine, what Udio has done — use existing sound recordings as data to mine and analyze for the purpose of identifying patterns in the sounds of various musical styles, all to enable people to make their own new creations — is a quintessential ‘fair use’ under copyright law.” In a statement to Music Ally responding to Suno’s and Udio’s filings, the RIAA said that the companies failed to obtain appropriate consent to use copyrighted works before bringing their tools to market, unlike competing services like YouTube. “There’s nothing fair about stealing an artist’s life’s work, extracting its core value, and repackaging it to compete directly with the originals,” said the RIAA. “Their vision of the ‘future of music’ is apparently one in which fans will no longer enjoy music by their favorite artists because those artists can no longer earn a living.” #ai #genai #musicindustry #tech #news https://lnkd.in/g9DEitit

☎️ HR Leaders: Are you utilizing candidate information like resumes, cover letters, and portfolios to train AI systems? While understanding AI's potential in HR is crucial, it’s equally important to stay informed about emerging regulations. Governments are starting to introduce laws to mitigate concerns arising from AI use. 🇨🇦 In Canada, for example, the federal government's Bill C-27 aims to establish the Consumer Privacy Protection Act. This proposed legislation includes specific rules regarding “automated decision systems”. From what I can find, it was most recently discussed on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 in the House of Commons. When obtaining personal information or intellectual property be sure to disclose the full extent of the intended purpose and use e.g. to train an AI. #navigate 🧭 #ai

The major record labels have filed copyright infringement lawsuits against AI music generation companies Suno and Udio. This is a big, Napster-like moment for music and generative AI as a whole. Let’s talk about the argument on both sides: As you can imagine, this has sparked a public debate between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Suno's CEO, Mikey Shulman. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Key points of the dispute: 1. The lawsuits allege that Suno and Udio used copyrighted music to train their AI models without permission or compensation. 2. The record labels are seeking damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work and injunctions to stop the companies from using copyrighted songs for training purposes. 3. The RIAA argues that these AI services are exploiting artists' work without consent, potentially undermining the value of genuine artistic creations. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Arguments from each side: RIAA's position: - The AI companies have engaged in "willful copyright infringement on an almost unimaginable scale." - They claim to have evidence of Suno and Udio reproducing copyrighted works. - The RIAA emphasizes the need for responsible AI development that respects artists' rights. Suno's defense: - CEO Mikey Shulman states that their technology is designed to generate original outputs, not reproduce existing content. - Suno claims it doesn't allow user prompts referencing specific artists. - They argue their use of data falls under fair use doctrine. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Now, the part that feels huge to me personally is that neither Suno nor Udio has disclosed the specific content used to train their AI models. This lack of transparency regarding the training data sources is a central issue in the dispute. Very curious to see where this goes - the outcome of these lawsuits could have huge implications for the AI industry as a whole and how copyright law is applied to AI training practices. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Want to follow the top AI news and become a genAI ninja in the process? Go to www.conorgrennan.com to sign up for the free AI Mindset Newsletter. https://lnkd.in/eKr_Gudz

After a number of recent lawsuits over the use of copyrighted material, this is truly a milestone. It is important that legal certainty for the professional use of Generative AI across all asset types is achieved soon, as the use of AI-generated content is growing rapidly. From a marketing procurement perspective, it's important to carefully manage current and future AI-related risks in supplier contracts.

The music industry is going to court against two AI startups for copyright infringement in what could be landmark litigation. The BBC article linked below has details. Highlights: 1) “Firms including Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Records say Suno and Udio have committed copyright infringement on an ‘almost unimaginable scale’. They claim the pair's software steals music to ‘spit out’ similar work and ask for compensation of $150,000…per work. 2) “The lawsuits, announced on Monday by the Recording Industry Association of America, are part of a wave of lawsuits from authors, news organisations and other groups that are challenging the rights of AI firms to use their work.” 3) “AI firms have argued that their use of the material is legitimate under the fair use doctrine, which allows copyrighted works to be used without a licence under certain conditions, such as for satire and news. Supporters have compared machine learning by AI tools to the way humans learn by reading, hearing and seeing previous works.” 4) But, “The use here is far from transformative, as there is no functional purpose for... [the] AI model to ingest the Copyrighted Recordings other than to spit out new, competing music files," the complaints allege. 5) “The complaints say Suno and Udio produce works like ‘Prancing Queen’ that even devoted ABBA fans would struggle to distinguish from an authentic recording from the band.” 6) The lawsuits further allege there was nothing about AI that excused the firms from ‘playing by the rules’ and warned that the ‘wholesale theft’ of the recordings threatened ‘the entire music ecosystem’. Dave’s take: AI generated songwriting and production constitutes the biggest challenge to the music business since the rise of Napster around the turn of the century. The music industry ultimately sued Napster and put them out of business. Still, the underlying technological upheaval could not be stopped, leading to the birth of streaming, which has obviously transformed the way most consumers obtain music today, and thus how everyone from record companies to artists are compensated. Can Suno and Udio prevail in fair use arguments here? If so it would seem to distort the concept beyond recognition. Musicians, filmmakers and authors deserve to have their copyrighted material protected. The larger point here though may be that once again litigation ends up being a rear guard action. All the changes wrought by AI tech will likely turn the music industry business model upside down, and once again artists will need to figure out ways to use technological developments to their advantage, both creatively and financially. Can AI be used to help artists expand their creative horizons, create new revenue streams and develop heretofore unimaginable interactivity with fans? https://lnkd.in/g_2CbURE

Major Record Labels Sue AI Music Generators Suno and Udio for Copyright Infringement 🎶⚖️ Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Group have filed lawsuits against AI music generators Suno and Udio, alleging massive copyright infringement. 📜 Allegations: The lawsuits claim that Suno and Udio trained their AI models on copyrighted music without permission, leading to outputs that closely mimic well-known songs. 🎵 Legal Action: The plaintiffs are seeking damages up to $150,000 per infringed work. The cases have been filed in federal courts in Massachusetts and New York. 🏛️ Industry Response: RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier stated that unlicensed services like Suno and Udio exploit artists' work for profit without consent, hindering genuine AI innovation. 🚫 🌐 This legal battle highlights the ongoing tension between AI innovation and intellectual property rights. As AI continues to evolve, the industry must navigate these complex issues to ensure fair use and respect for creators' rights. But is this even possible? 💭 Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/eyDmgSYF #AIMusic #CopyrightInfringement #MusicIndustry #AIInnovation #LegalNews

AI, the big buzz in the Music Industry, finally meets legal precedent in the lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group Publishing against Anthropic over copyright infringement, which begs the question: is it copyright infringement if tech companies ingest copyrighted music metadata to train generative AI mechanisms. This article of Music Business Worldwide explores the notices sent out by UMG for Anthropic to answer behind the claims of music copyright infringement months before the suit. In the 99 page notice, UMG responded to Anthropic responses to the claims of infringement which can potentially be the type of dialogue seen in the court regarding these issues. Biased on the side of copyright protection, I believe that any advancement of technology should be held accountable within the confines of existing legislation to adhere to copyright protection. The debate is broken into three main points of inquiry: if the use of ingesting copyrighted music into AI is considered Fair Use, how can licenses work for AI, and is there ownership over AI generated songs? Read the article here and follow up because a big precedent is going to be set for AI music. Esquire Group Inc. https://lnkd.in/ebKQy2UW

Major record labels are suing AI music platforms for copyright infringement. Sony Music, Warner Music, and Universal Music have filed a lawsuit against AI music generators Suno and Udio, claiming that these platforms are producing music that closely resembles their copyrighted songs without obtaining proper licenses. The labels are seeking compensation and an injunction to halt the alleged infringement. However, Suno and Udio have defended their actions, arguing that their use of copyrighted material falls under the legal doctrine of fair use, which permits the incorporation of existing works into new creations. In their filings, the defendants have alleged that these labels are using their dominant position in the market to abuse existing Intellectual Property Regulations and using copyright law as a shield to prevent their loss of market share to upcoming music platforms. Recording Industry Association of America responded to the statements made by the defendants, saying that “the two companies were envisioning a future in which fans will no longer enjoy music by their favorite artists because those artists can no longer earn a living.” The legal question that this case posses here is : Is it infringement to use vast volumes of proprietary works to build an AI model that formulates new creations? Or is it just a form of legal fair use, transforming all those old works into something entirely new?

Sony Music Entertainment Universal Music Group Warner Records are suing two AI Startups - Suno and Udio for copyright infringements. i.e. by stealing copyrighted music to generate similar work. Music (and Video) are often reused under a fair use doctrine which for example in the US is codified in the US Copyright Act. The doctrine balances the rights of copyright owners with the public's interest in the free exchange of ideas and information. Fair use is particularly important in areas like education, research, journalism, and commentary. The case here as reported by the Record Labels is ingesting copyrighted music (to create/generate new content for a fee). #AI As reported by BBC News https://lnkd.in/eezeWHNj