3 Count: Done Deal

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1: US Judge Approves Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion Settlement of Copyright Lawsuit

First off today, Blake Brittain at Reuters reports that a federal judge in San Francisco has approved the $1.5 billion settlement in the lawsuit between Anthropic and a class of authors.

The lawsuit will see Anthropic pay $1.5 Billion to authors for the copyright infringement of their work. This amounts to approximately $3,000 per book involved in the settlement. According to Anthropic, some 91% of the authors covered in the settlement have already staked their claims to the money.

The settlement is controversial because it only covers the piracy of the books involved, not their use in AI training. The judge in the case had previously ruled that Anthropic’s use of the books was protected under fair use. However, the illegal downloading of the books was not. That prompted the settlement, which initially struggled to get approval but has now passed its final hurdle.

2: Why Sony Just Filed a New AI Music Copyright Lawsuit Against Udio

Next up today, Rachel Scharf at Billboard reports that Sony has filed a new copyright lawsuit against the AI music company Udio, expanding an ongoing legal battle between the two companies.

The lawsuit initially involved all three of the major music companies. However, both Universal and Warner Music Group dropped out of the case after reaching licensing agreements with Udio. Sony, however, has continued to pursue the case and, with this new lawsuit, is actively escalating it.

Sony had initially tried to add the songs to their existing lawsuit but the judge denied the request, saying that doing so two years into the case would create significant issues. As a result, Sony has now filed a new lawsuit, this one involving more than 30,000 songs on top of the previous 333. As a result, the hypothetical damages in the case could reach $4.5 billion. Udio, however, has maintained that their actions are fair use.

3: Studios, Labels and Scholars Say the Fifth Circuit Botched Vetter

Finally today, Aaron Moss at Copyright Lately reports that five new amicus briefs have been filed with the US Supreme Court, all asking the court to overturn the Fifth Circuit’s decision regarding copyright termination rights.

The case is BMG Rights Management v. Vetter. The case deals with copyright termination rights, which enable original creators of a work to regain control of their copyright after a certain period of time. In the case, the Fifth Circuit recently ruled that copyright termination rights apply internationally, representing a major expansion of those rights, which are unique to the United States.

Various music and movie groups have now filed briefs in the case, saying that copyright termination rights should not be extended outside of the United States, saying that doing so would create chaos in their industries and was not what the law intended. The Supreme Court is slated to hear the case later this year.

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