Legal

34 posts

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NO FAKES Act is a “blunt solution” that “goes too far” say tech companies

The NO FAKES Act in the US - seen by many in the music industry as a break-through legislative safe-guard against the threat of AI - is actually a bit rubbish. At least that’s what a group of signatories to a new letter say, adding that the new legislation could have unintended consequences…

Chris Cooke • 10 Sep 2024

Judge declines to reconsider Kobalt strand of Spotify’s legal battle with Eminem’s publisher

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Kobalt • 3 min read

Judge declines to reconsider Kobalt strand of Spotify’s legal battle with Eminem’s publisher

A judge recently ruled that Kobalt should cover Spotify’s costs relating to the legal battle over Eminem’s songs, based on a 2016 agreement between it and the streaming platform. Kobalt asked the judge to reconsider. She has declined but cleared the way for the music company to appeal…

Chris Cooke • 09 Sep 2024

Music publishers say “overwhelming evidence” against Anthropic means case must not be slimmed down

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Anthropic • 2 min read

Music publishers say “overwhelming evidence” against Anthropic means case must not be slimmed down

Anthropic recently tried to get a lawsuit filed against it by a group of music publishers trimmed down, citing other cases between copyright owners and AI businesses. The publishers have now insisted this case is different because of “overwhelming evidence” that Anthropic’s AI outputted their lyrics…

Chris Cooke • 09 Sep 2024

Previous music piracy judgements against ISPs were “wrong” says Verizon, and those legal arguments “are even less persuasive now”

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Verizon • 2 min read

Previous music piracy judgements against ISPs were “wrong” says Verizon, and those legal arguments “are even less persuasive now”

The latest ISP to be sued by the majors has said that past judgements that held its rivals liable for their customers’ copyright infringement were wrong. Verizon also hopes a Supreme Court ruling that limited the liabilities of social media firms can be used as grounds to dismiss this copyright case…

Chris Cooke • 09 Sep 2024

AI regulation gains momentum, with new proposals in Australia, and a global treaty

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AI • 2 min read

AI regulation gains momentum, with new proposals in Australia, and a global treaty

Law-makers around the world continue to consider the best way to regulate AI. The Australian government has proposed ten mandatory guardrails including transparency obligations. Meanwhile, the UK, US and EU have signed the first legally binding treaty on AI which sets out “overarching safeguards”…

Chris Cooke • 06 Sep 2024

The 1975 respond to Malaysian festival promoter’s lawsuit

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The 1975 • 2 min read

The 1975 respond to Malaysian festival promoter’s lawsuit

Back in July The 1975 were sued by the promoter of the Malaysian festival that was shutdown last year after Matty Healy criticised the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws during their performance. The band have responded saying that rules they are accused of breaking were actually just guidelines…

Chris Cooke • 06 Sep 2024

New York District Attorney brings criminal charges against man accused of sophisticated streaming fraud that raked in more than $10 million

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Streaming Fraud • 3 min read

New York District Attorney brings criminal charges against man accused of sophisticated streaming fraud that raked in more than $10 million

Prosecutors in the US have charged a man accused of running a streaming fraud scam that generated over $10 million. He got individuals abroad to set up “bot accounts” on the streaming platforms and then set those accounts streaming hundred of thousands of tracks that he created with an AI company…

Sam Taylor & Chris Cooke • 05 Sep 2024

Judge orders Trump to stop playing Isaac Hayes song amid dispute over date of BMI exclusion

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Isaac Hayes • 2 min read

Judge orders Trump to stop playing Isaac Hayes song amid dispute over date of BMI exclusion

The legal battle between the Isaac Hayes estate and the Donald Trump election campaign continues. A judge has issued an injunction ordering Trump to not use ‘Hold On, I'm Coming’ at his rallies and Hayes’ son has disputed the campaign’s claim about its BMI licence…

Chris Cooke • 04 Sep 2024

Op-ed: Jonathan Coote of Bray & Krais on AI and fair use

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Op-Eds • 5 min read

Op-ed: Jonathan Coote of Bray & Krais on AI and fair use

As the Suno and Udio lawsuits make their way through the courts, the fundamental issue in the cases is likely to be whether the 'fair use' defence can be successfully run for the training of AI tools on copyright works. Jonathan Coote examines the issue in more detail…

CMU Contributors • 03 Sep 2024

Billy Joel sued by musician who says he helped create ‘You May Be Right’

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Billy Joel • 3 min read

Billy Joel sued by musician who says he helped create ‘You May Be Right’

A musician who says he played drums on a demo version of Billy Joel hit ‘You May Be Right’ all the way back in 1979 has filed a lawsuit over allegedly unpaid royalties. He says his work on the song was never acknowledged or rewarded - he now wants at least $15 million in damages…

Chris Cooke • 03 Sep 2024

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Isaac Hayes • 3 min read

Republicans say Isaac Hayes copyright claim invalid and is maliciously timed political stunt designed to “disproportionately harm” Trump’s campaign

The Republican Party says that, until mid-August, its BMI licence - and that of the Donald Trump campaign - covered Isaac Hayes song ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’, and therefore claims of copyright infringement from the Hayes estate over Trump’s use of that track are invalid…

Chris Cooke • 02 Sep 2024

Hipgnosis “fraudulently induced” Barry Manilow to sell his artist royalties with “false promises”

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Barry Manilow • 4 min read

Hipgnosis “fraudulently induced” Barry Manilow to sell his artist royalties with “false promises”

Hipgnosis promised it could spark a “Copacabana dance trend” on TikTok - one of many “false promises” the company made when it snapped up rights to revenues from Barry Manilow’s recordings - and now owes Manilow $1.5 million in bonus payments, according to a lawsuit filed by the singer…

Chris Cooke & Sam Taylor • 02 Sep 2024