Anthropic Reaches Agreement with Music Publishers Over AI Copyright Dispute

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has come to a resolution with Universal Music and other music publishers regarding its AI chatbot, Claude, and its use of copyrighted song lyrics. The agreement, which was approved by U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee on Thursday, resolves part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the publishers last year.

According to Reuters, the lawsuit, which is being heard in California federal court, accuses Anthropic of improperly using hundreds of song lyrics from artists like Beyonce, the Rolling Stones, and others to train its AI model, Claude. The music publishers had previously requested the implementation of “guardrails” to prevent the chatbot from generating any copyrighted lyrics, a request now reflected in the recent settlement. Anthropic, however, has denied the accusations and asserts that such safeguards were already in place prior to the legal dispute.

The publishers had sought a broader court injunction to block Anthropic’s alleged use of their lyrics in the AI’s training process. While this particular issue has been addressed with the guardrails agreement, Judge Lee is still considering the publishers’ request for a preliminary injunction to stop Anthropic from continuing to use the lyrics.

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In a statement, Anthropic confirmed that it would maintain the existing guardrails, apply them to future iterations of Claude, and allow the court to resolve any future disputes regarding their implementation. “Claude isn’t designed to be used for copyright infringement, and we have numerous processes in place designed to prevent such infringement,” an Anthropic spokesperson said on Friday. “Our decision to enter into this stipulation is consistent with those priorities.”

Despite the agreement, the music publishers, including UMG, ABKCO, and Concord, emphasized that the lawsuit is ongoing. “While Anthropic’s stipulation is a positive step forward, this lawsuit remains ongoing,” they said in a statement on Friday. The legal action accuses Anthropic of unlawfully copying their lyrics to train Claude and of the chatbot illegally reproducing the lyrics in response to user prompts.

As reported by Reuters, the case is part of a broader wave of lawsuits involving AI companies accused of using copyrighted material without authorization for training purposes. Similar legal battles are unfolding involving authors, news outlets, and visual artists, all claiming that their works were used in AI training without compensation or consent. Defendants, including Anthropic, have argued that the use of such materials constitutes “fair use.”

Source: Reuters