Anthropic, Music Publishers Address Copyright Issues

Anthropic, the AI company behind the Claude AI model, has taken steps to resolve copyright concerns raised by music publishers. In October 2023, publishers including Universal Music and ABKCO filed a lawsuit against Anthropic, accusing the company of using unauthorized song lyrics like Beyoncé’s “Halo” and Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” to train its AI.

This week, the two parties reached a partial agreement through a court-approved stipulation. Anthropic committed to upholding its existing safeguards to prevent its AI from reproducing, distributing, or displaying copyrighted material. These measures will also apply to future training processes for its AI models.

As part of the agreement, Anthropic must respond promptly to copyright concerns raised by publishers. The company is required to provide written explanations of how it plans to address specific issues or clarify if it chooses not to act on them.

An Anthropic spokesperson reiterated the company’s stance against copyright infringement. “Claude isn’t designed for copyright infringement, and we have processes to prevent it,” they said, noting that the stipulation aligns with the company’s priorities.

Despite this progress, the lawsuit remains unresolved. Music publishers continue to pursue an injunction to stop Anthropic from using unauthorized song lyrics in future AI training. A court decision on this issue is expected in the coming months.

Anthropic has defended its use of copyrighted material for training AI as fair use, a position it plans to maintain in the legal proceedings. This case underscores the ongoing tensions between AI development and copyright protection, as both sides seek to find common ground.