Major music labels and industry organizations have filed an amicus brief supporting publishers in their copyright battle against AI company Anthropic, arguing against the company's fair use defense for using song lyrics without permission.

Universal Music Publishing Group, Concord, and Abkco initiated legal action against Anthropic in October 2023, claiming their AI chatbot Claude infringes copyrights by:

• Training on unauthorized song lyrics
• Reproducing complete lyrics in responses
• Bypassing standard licensing agreements

The lawsuit demonstrates that Claude can reproduce exact lyrics from songs like:

• Katy Perry's "Roar" (Concord)
• Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" (UMPG)
• The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Abkco)

Anthropic's response:

• Acknowledges training Claude on lyrics
• Claims fair use protection
• States exact lyric reproduction is unintended
• Says guardrails are in place to prevent copying

The RIAA, Artist Rights Alliance, and Music Artists Coalition support the publishers, noting that:

• Other AI companies have obtained proper licenses
• Anthropic's fair use argument mirrors Napster's failed defense
• Legal precedent shows copyright compliance doesn't hinder innovation
• Proper licensing led to successful streaming services

Publishers are seeking an injunction requiring Anthropic to:

• Implement safeguards preventing unauthorized lyric generation
• Stop using copyrighted lyrics for AI model training

The case highlights the ongoing tension between AI development and copyright protection in the music industry, with potential implications for future AI training practices and licensing requirements.

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