Anthropic might get to use Universal Music Group's lyrics after all

The last few years have seen an ongoing debate over what rights AI companies have to utilize copyrighted material. The latest development tips the scales in favor of use: A judge has rejected Universal Music Group, ABKCO and other music publishers' preliminary bid to block Anthropic from using their lyrics to train its AI assistant Claude, Reuters reports. 

US District Judge Eumi Lee ruled that UMG and co had submitted too broad a request and failed to demonstrate that Anthropic's use of the lyrics caused the companies "irreparable harm." Lee stated, "Publishers are essentially asking the Court to define the contours of a licensing market for AI training where the threshold question of fair use remains unsettled."

The case dates back to 2023, when UMG joined some of its fellow music publishers in suing Anthropic for copyright infringement. They claimed that Anthropic used and distributed copyrighted material, including at least 500 songs. "Anthropic’s copyright infringement is not innovation; in layman’s terms, it’s theft," UMG stated at the time. 

The two sides came to a partial agreement in January of this year. Anthropic confirmed it would maintain current guardrails for reproducing, displaying or distributing copyrighted material. It also agreed to "expeditiously" respond to the music producers' copyright concerns with a written statement outlining how it plans to or why it won't do so in an individual case. 

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