3 Count: Unpublished Song

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1: French Competition Watchdog Fines Google €250M for AI Copyright Breaches

First off today, Siôn Geschwindt at The Next Web reports that the European Union has handed down a €250 million ($271 million) fine to Google, claiming that the search giant used content from local media publishers to train its AI systems, including Bard, which has been renamed Gemini.

The fine is the latest in a string of such fines levied against Google. The saga began in 2019 with publishers complained that Google was using their content in search results without compensation. Some publishers eventually signed a deal with Google but the EU still hit Google with €500 million fine for making that process needlessly complex.

However, according to the EU, Google failed to streamline the process and added the issue using media content to train AI systems. As such, they’ve hit Google with this latest fine, raising the total amount of fines levied against Google by 50%.

2: Shaira’s ‘Selos’ Taken Down From Online Streaming Platforms Amid Copyright Claims

Next up today, Rappler reports that, in the Philippines, pop singer Shaira has had her hit song Selos removed from all online streaming platforms, following allegations of copyright infringement by an Australian musician.

The story involves the Australian musician Lenka, who released her song, Trouble Is a Friend in 2008. In December 2023, Shaira released her latest hit song, Selos, which has become wildly popular on TikTok and other social media platforms. However, listeners noticed that Selos uses the same melody as Trouble is a Friend, prompting Shaira’s management team, AHS Channel, to remove the song from various platforms.

According to AHS, they have pulled the song to address legal issues with it and hope to work out an arrangement with Lenka to make the song “an official cover.” They further promised that Shaira would return with original music soon.

3: ISP’s Landmark Piracy Liability Case Doesn’t Get a Do-Over in Appeals Court

Finally today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied dueling motions by Cox Communications and record companies to rehear an appeal in their ongoing dispute over piracy taking place on the Cox network.

The record labels sued Cox alleging that the internet service provider was not doing enough to prevent infringement on its network. The case went before a jury, which awarded the record labels a $1 billion judgment. Cox appealed and the appeal did overturn the damages amount, saying that one of the types of copyright infringement did not apply, but continued to hold Cox liable for the other. That sent the case back to the lower court for a new trial on damages alone.

However, neither side was happy with that ruling, with Cox wanting all allegations dismissed and the music companies wanting the original decision to stand in full. However, the Appeals Court has declined to rehear the case, continuing it on its path toward a new trial on damages.

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