OpenAI is already facing several lawsuits, including a class action from authors, a lawsuit from The New York Times, and others from online publishers and newspapers. The key issue in the U.S. is whether copying to train an AI qualifies as a “fair use” exception to copyright law. GEMA has opted out for all the works it licenses, and the lawsuit has the support of some big German songwriters and their publishers. GEMA CEO Tobias Holzmüller stated that anyone wanting to use these songs must acquire a license and remunerate the authors fairly.
Key takeaways:
- GEMA, the German performing rights organization, has sued OpenAI for copyright infringement, alleging that the technology company used lyrics from songs without permission.
- This is the first lawsuit of its kind, and it does not involve recordings, only lyrics. It aims to clarify copyright law in Germany and potentially all of Europe.
- OpenAI is already facing a significant amount of litigation, including a lawsuit from The New York Times, online publishers, and other newspapers.
- GEMA has presented a licensing model for generative AI software that would compensate songwriters and publishers, and has sent letters to AI companies stating they must license GEMA works in order to use them.