3 Count: Backroom Backtrack

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1: Music Publishers and Elon Musk’s X Settle Copyright and Antitrust Lawsuits

First off today, Camila Curcio at Law Commentary reports that music publishers and X (formerly Twitter) have reached a settlement in their long-running copyright infringement lawsuit.

The music publishers filed the lawsuit in 2024. They alleged that X had made widespread use of their music on the platform without permission and were slow to takedown infringing content. X countersued, alleging that the publishers were wielding unfair monopoly power and that they were using takedown notices as a weapon to push them into signing a licensing deal.

The two sides tried to reach a settlement last year, but negotiations broke down. However, second time was the charm as both sides have reached a deal, bringing an end to the lawsuit. The terms of the settlement are not known.

2: Indonesia’s Copyright Rewrite Puts Google, AI Platforms on Notice

Next up today, Stanley Widianto at Reuters reports that the Indonesian government is drafting a major rewrite of the nation’s copyright laws, introducing new provisions that could have a significant impact on AI and other tech companies.

Among the changes is a ban on using AI to imitated the style of another creator and requiring that AI-generated content be labeled as such. This applies to a wide range of content, including video games, journalism, films and photos. It also would clarify that AI-generated content would only qualify for copyright protection if the human involvement met the criteria.

The draft is not final, and the government is seeking public input before it is finalized. Tech companies asked about the new legislation have not yet responded.

3: A24 Withdraws ‘Backrooms’ Copyright Claim After Kane Parsons Intervenes

Finally today, Casey Loving at The Wrap reports that A24, the film studio owned by Amazon, has withdrawn its copyright claims “Backrooms” inspired art and videos, bringing an end to the controversy.

A film based on the Backrooms meme recently became the highest-grossing film for A24. However, after the film’s release, many who had published Backrooms-related content were receiving copyright notices from the studio, prompting backlash. This was especially worrisome as many of the works hit with a copyright notice predated the film’s release.

In the end, it took Kane Parsons himself stepping in to save the day. The director of the film, he made it clear that, while he was protective of his work, he knew that the Backrooms is a larger universe with many people creating content based on it. Amazon clarified that it does not claim ownership over the many elements of the Backrooms, including the yellow walls and empty spaces.

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