3 Count: Carlin’s Ghost

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1: Family of Late Comedian George Carlin Sues Podcast Hosts Over AI Impression

First off today, Rhianna Schmunk at CBC News reports that the estate of comedian George Carlin have filed a lawsuit against the duo behind the Dudesy podcast over an AI-generated “special” that imitated both Carlin’s work and likeness.

The pair used AI to generate an AI version of Carlin and record a comedy episode using his voice and “new” material based on his older work. However, the estate claims that this was a violation of their copyright, saying that Carlin’s work was used to train the AI without permission.

The case is the latest in a long line of artists and writers suing AI companies for using their work without permission to train AI systems. In this particular case, the estate decried the new “special” as “ghoulish” and “a casual theft of a great American artist’s work.”

2: Estates of Jimi Hendrix Bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding Gain Permission to Sue Sony Over Copyright Dispute

Next up today, Joe Taysom at Far Out reports that the estates of Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, two musicians who played in the Jimi Hendrix Experience, have been granted permission to file a lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment of allegedly unpaid royalties.

The two estates had previously sold their rights in 1970s. However, they claim that, as the music industry evolved, they were denied owed royalties. However, Sony attempted to argue that the sale of the rights precluded their ability to file such a lawsuit or collect such royalties.

However, a judge in the UK has granted permission to the estates to move forward with the lawsuit. No date has been set for the trial but it is expected to begin sometime in 2025.

3: US Copyright Office to Investigate How to License AI Companies to Generate Revenue for Music Creators

Finally today, Chris Cooke at Complete Music Update reports that the United States Copyright Office is looking into the possibility of a compulsory license scheme that would require AI companies to pay for the use of content they train on and provide a system to compensate human authors.

The announcement came from the General Counsel of the US Copyright Office, Suzy Wilson, who spoke at a conference this week. She said the US Copyright Office is exploring a similar model to one used in music, where several kinds and uses of works are covered under compulsory licenses with rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board.

However, it’s unclear at this time if AI companies even need permission to train their systems on copyright-protected works. That is an issue being hashed out in courts across the country as rightsholders file lawsuits over the use.

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