Meta - CMU | the music business explained

Meta dropped songs from Reels library to bully Wixen into accepting lower royalty rates, says lawsuit

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Meta • 2 min read

Meta dropped songs from Reels library to bully Wixen into accepting lower royalty rates, says lawsuit

Wixen has accused Meta of employing “unscrupulous” tactics to pressure the publisher into accepting much lower royalty rates. It claims Meta removed Wixen songs from its Reels library and lied to the artists behind those tracks in a bid to put pressure on the publisher during licensing negotiations…

Chris Cooke • 27 Jan 2026

Meta seeks dismissal of Eminem copyright lawsuit

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Eminem • 2 min read

Meta seeks dismissal of Eminem copyright lawsuit

Earlier this year Eminem publisher Eight Mile Style filed a lawsuit against Meta, claiming that the rapper’s music appeared in videos on Facebook and Instagram without the necessary licences. Meta wants the lawsuit dismissed, arguing it lacks substance, and that it did - in fact - have a licence…

Chris Cooke • 22 Sep 2025

First Anthropic, now Meta: another judge accepts fair use defence in AI training - but there’s a sting

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Meta • 4 min read

First Anthropic, now Meta: another judge accepts fair use defence in AI training - but there’s a sting

When it was sued by a group of authors for using their books in AI training without permission, Meta used the fair use defence. A judge has accepted that defence but says that in many cases AI training probably isn’t fair use and he provides some arguments rightsholders could employ in similar cases…

Chris Cooke • 26 Jun 2025

Eminem publisher sues Meta in “another case of a trillion dollar company” exploiting artists for “obscene monetary benefit”

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Eminem • 3 min read

Eminem publisher sues Meta in “another case of a trillion dollar company” exploiting artists for “obscene monetary benefit”

Music publisher Eight Mile Style has sued Meta for the unlicensed use of Eminem’s songs on Facebook and Instagram. The publisher says that, by including Eminem’s music in its own audio clip libraries without a licence, Meta can’t rely on the copyright safe harbour and is liable for infringement…

Chris Cooke • 03 Jun 2025

“I just don't understand how that can be fair use”, says judge in Meta AI trial

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Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

“I just don't understand how that can be fair use”, says judge in Meta AI trial

Numerous lawsuits filed by copyright owners against AI companies centre on whether or not AI training is ‘fair use’ under US copyright law. A judge last week considered that question in the context of a lawsuit against Meta, at one point stating “I just don't understand how that can be fair use”…

Chris Cooke • 06 May 2025

Legal boffins weigh in on Meta’s AI copyright case with leading academics split on critical fair use debate

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Artificial Intelligence • 5 min read

Legal boffins weigh in on Meta’s AI copyright case with leading academics split on critical fair use debate

Law professors have submitted amicus briefs in relation to the copyright lawsuit over Meta’s Llama AI model. Ten professors insist that AI training is not fair use, meaning Meta infringed copyright by using books to train its model without rightsholder permission. But four other professors disagree…

Chris Cooke • 15 Apr 2025

After suing Apple, the EU is going after Meta for DMA breaches

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Meta • 2 min read

After suing Apple, the EU is going after Meta for DMA breaches

The European Commission has published a second preliminary finding in relation to big tech and the EU Digital Markets Act, having previously ruled on Apple. This time it’s Meta’s personal data policies in the spotlight which, the Commission says, are not compliant with the DMA…

Chris Cooke • 02 Jul 2024

Sarah Silverman lawsuit testing copyright obligations of Meta's LLaMA AI platform back in court

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Sarah Silverman • 2 min read

Sarah Silverman lawsuit testing copyright obligations of Meta's LLaMA AI platform back in court

A US judge gave some consideration this week to one of the legal cases that is testing the copyright obligations of AI companies - the lawsuit filed against Meta by three writers including comedian Sarah Silverman…

Chris Cooke • 10 Nov 2023

Meta announces ad-free premium option in Europe to comply with data regulations

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Meta • 1 min read

Meta announces ad-free premium option in Europe to comply with data regulations

Meta is launching an ad-free premium option for Facebook and Instagram in Europe - but only to comply with data regulations in the European Union - the social media firm insists “we believe in an ad-supported internet”…

Chris Cooke • 31 Oct 2023