Music industry legal news

Bob Vylan didn’t break Dutch law say prosecutors after September live show controversy

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Bob Vylan • 3 min read

Bob Vylan didn’t break Dutch law say prosecutors after September live show controversy

35 individuals and organisations filed complaints with the Dutch Public Prosecution Service after a Bob Vylan gig in Amsterdam in September. But prosecutors have concluded that, while statements made on-stage by the band were “provocative and harsh”, they didn’t breach Dutch anti-discrimination laws…

Kaya Robertson • 07 Nov 2025

Slipknot.com owner hires domain name specialist to fight back against band’s cybersquatting claims

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Slipknot • 3 min read

Slipknot.com owner hires domain name specialist to fight back against band’s cybersquatting claims

Last month Slipknot sued the anonymous owner of Slipknot.com, accusing them of breaching cybersquatting laws. A domain name industry expert and attorney has now made a filing on behalf of the domain’s owner, who he describes as the “lawful and long-time registrant” of the domain…

Chris Cooke & Sam Taylor • 07 Nov 2025

Former Guns N Roses manager sues band over autobiography blocker clause

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Guns N Roses • 3 min read

Former Guns N Roses manager sues band over autobiography blocker clause

Guns N Roses are trying to block their former manager, Alan G Niven, from publishing an autobiography by citing a confidentiality term in a 1991 agreement. Niven has responded by suing the band, arguing that contract term is “unconscionable”, and has been repeatedly broken by the band themselves…

Chris Cooke • 05 Nov 2025

Judgement in Getty’s UK lawsuit against Stability “underscores growing gap” between copyright and tech, says leading lawyer

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Stability AI • 4 min read

Judgement in Getty’s UK lawsuit against Stability “underscores growing gap” between copyright and tech, says leading lawyer

Stability AI has won its copyright dispute with Getty Images in the UK courts. This began as what many saw as the landmark AI copyright case under UK law, of relevance to all rights owners, including in the music industry. However, in the end the judge only considered a very narrow copyright issue…

Chris Cooke • 04 Nov 2025

“Innovation can’t be built on stolen goods” says Koda CEO, as Danish collecting society sues Suno

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Suno • 2 min read

“Innovation can’t be built on stolen goods” says Koda CEO, as Danish collecting society sues Suno

We have another music industry AI lawsuit in Europe. Danish collecting society Koda is suing Suno which it says has stolen “our members’ creative work and fed it into its machines without consent, transparency or remuneration”. It follows German society GEMA in suing Suno for copyright infringement…

Chris Cooke • 04 Nov 2025

Spotify’s streaming fraud initiatives are “nothing more than window dressing” says rapper RBX as he files class action lawsuit

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Spotify • 3 min read

Spotify’s streaming fraud initiatives are “nothing more than window dressing” says rapper RBX as he files class action lawsuit

Spotify is being sued for allegedly “turning a blind eye” to streaming fraud. Rapper RBX says that Spotify’s anti-fraud procedures are “nothing more than window dressing”, because the streaming service benefits from having fraudsters set up accounts. He’s suing for negligence and unfair competition…

Chris Cooke • 03 Nov 2025

Cam’ron accuses J Cole of reneging on verse swap deal

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Cam’ron • 2 min read

Cam’ron accuses J Cole of reneging on verse swap deal

Cam’ron has accused J Cole of reneging on a verse swap deal and as a result wants to be declared co-owner of the copyright in Cole’s track ‘Ready 24’. Cam’ron provided a verse for that record on the understanding Cole would return the favour on one of his tracks, but he has failed to do so…

Chris Cooke • 31 Oct 2025

After Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement, big tech takes aim at statutory damages in copyright disputes, seeks Trump’s support

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Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

After Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement, big tech takes aim at statutory damages in copyright disputes, seeks Trump’s support

Last month Donald Trump asked for more submissions on AI regulation. One lobby group has used its submission to not only argue that AI training is ‘fair use’, but to also criticise statutory damages in US copyright law which it says are unfairly forcing AI companies into billion dollar settlements…

Chris Cooke • 29 Oct 2025

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

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Spotify • 3 min read

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

Last month a judge said The MLC could restart its lawsuit over Spotify’s use of a controversial bundling discount to reduce payments to songwriters, but only in relation to how the discount is applied. Spotify now says that’s a “peripheral issue” that will make little difference to writer royalties…

Chris Cooke • 27 Oct 2025

Another blow for Apple’s in-app payments as company loses £1.5 billion competition lawsuit

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Apple • 3 min read

Another blow for Apple’s in-app payments as company loses £1.5 billion competition lawsuit

Apple has lost a class action before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal over its App Store fees, which have long been criticised by Spotify. The tribunal ruled Apple exploited its market dominance to charge excessive fees, which impacted on consumers. It could now face damages of £1.5 billion…

Chris Cooke • 24 Oct 2025

Universal Music beats artists in three separate streaming royalty lawsuits

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Universal Music • 3 min read

Universal Music beats artists in three separate streaming royalty lawsuits

A Dutch court has ruled on three lawsuits filed against Universal by artists who claimed that the major was incorrectly interpreting old record contracts and paying excessively low royalties on streaming income as a result. Judges concluded that the artists had failed to establish that was happening…

Kaya Robertson • 24 Oct 2025

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

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Lizzo • 3 min read

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

Lizzo has been sued over an uncleared sample in a track she never released, but which appeared in a social media post responding to Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle Jeans ad campaign. And that’s enough to constitute copyright infringement, according to the owner of the sampled work…

Chris Cooke • 23 Oct 2025

Music industry legal news coverage