3 Count: Bunny Sample

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1: Bad Bunny Finally Facing Lawsuit Over Uncleared Afrobeats Sample

First off today, Daniel Kreps at Rolling Stone reports that US rapper Bad Bunny is facing a lawsuit filed by an African record label over an alleged unlicensed sample.

The story began in February 2023. Mr. Eazi, the founder of the emPawa Africa record label, alleged that Bad Bunny had used an unlicensed sample in his music. He claimed that Bunny’s song Enséñame a Bailar used elements from Joeboy’s song Empty My Pocket. He further claims to have repeatedly tried to resolve the issue privately before going public.

However, the issue appears not to have been resolved, as Eazi has filed a lawsuit against Bunny and others involved with the song. Bunny has claimed he received permission for the sample from Lakizo Entertainment. However, Lakizo has had its own feud with emPawa over the song, resulting in it getting pulled from a popular music player.

2: “Never Terminate” Policy: Music Labels Slam Grande’s Supreme Court Piracy Appeal

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that ISP Grande Communications has filed a plea with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), saying that the current law is too vague and does not require them to terminate the accounts of repeat infringers.

In late 2022, Grande Comunications was sued by a collection of music labels, alleging that the company failed to take adequate action to prevent piracy on its network. That case went to a trial, and a jury found in favor of the record labels, awarding $47 million in damages. However, the damages amount was overturned on appeal, with a new trial scheduled on the issue of damages alone.

While awaiting that trial, Grande appealed the liability decision to the Supreme Court. The record labels see no reason for the court to take the case, saying that the law is clear. However, Grande argues that the law is fuzzy on the responsibility of ISPs.

3: India Panel to Review Copyright Law Amid Legal Challenges to OpenAI

Finally, today, Arpan Chaturvedi at Reuters reports that the Indian government has issued an official memo creating a panel to review existing copyright rules in the face of AI-related disputes.

The announcement follows a lawsuit against OpenAI filed by a group of Indian news outlets and book publishers. They allege that OpenAI illegally used their content when training ChatGPT and other AI systems. OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing.

The memo says that the country’s commerce ministry has set up a panel of eight experts to address these issues. The group aims to “identify and analyze the legal and policy issues arising from the use of artificial intelligence in the context of copyright.” It is unclear what timeframe the group is operating under, and what will happen after it releases its findings.

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