Anthropic settles copyright infringement lawsuit with major music publishers over AI training practices

Despite these measures, Anthropic maintains that its use of copyrighted material in AI training may be considered fair use.

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Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI model, has agreed to resolve aspects of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by major music publishers. The lawsuit, initiated in October 2023 by Universal Music Group, ABKCO, Concord Music Group, and others, alleged that Anthropic’s AI system unlawfully distributed lyrics from over 500 copyrighted songs, including tracks by Beyoncé and Maroon 5.

The publishers argued that Anthropic improperly used data from licensed platforms to train its models without permission. Under the settlement approved by US District Judge Eumi Lee, Anthropic will maintain and extend its guardrails designed to prevent copyright violations in existing and future AI models.

The company also agreed to collaborate with music publishers to address potential infringements and resolve disputes through court intervention if necessary. Anthropic reiterated its commitment to fair use principles and emphasised that its AI is not intended for copyright infringement.

Despite the agreement, the legal battle isn’t over. The music publishers have requested a preliminary injunction to prevent Anthropic from using their lyrics in future model training. A court decision on this request is expected in the coming months, keeping the spotlight on how copyright law applies to generative AI.