German music rights organisation sues OpenAI for copyright abuse

Occurred: November 2024

A prominent German music rights organisation initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI alleging copyright abuse relating to the training of its AI models, including ChatGPT.

What happened

The lawsuit, filed by GEMA (the German performance rights organization), claims that OpenAI unlawfully used copyrighted music to train its artificial intelligence systems, including ChatGPT, without obtaining proper licenses or permissions. 

GEMA's action follows similar lawsuits from other music rights holders who argue that AI-generated content infringes on their copyrights by producing works that closely resemble their original recordings.

Why it happened

GEMA accused OpenAI of reproducing protected song lyrics from its members without obtaining the necessary licenses or compensating the authors. 

The organisation claims that ChatGPT has been trained on copyrighted texts, including song lyrics from approximately 95,000 members, without any remuneration to their creators.

The stated aim of the lawsuit is to prove that OpenAI "systematically" uses GEMA's repertoire to train its systems. 

GEMA also said that OpenAI and other AI model and system operators had already been warned in writing that they must acquire a license to use GEMA works. 

What it means

This lawsuit could set significant precedents for the relationship between AI technologies and copyright law, particularly in the music industry. 

If GEMA succeeds, it may lead to stricter regulation on how AI companies can use copyrighted materials for training purposes, potentially requiring them to secure licenses for any content that resembles existing works.

Such outcomes could reshape the landscape for the development and deployment of AI systems, compelling companies like OpenAI to reconsider their data sourcing strategies and business models.

Copyright law of Germany

German authors' right or Deutsches Urheberrecht is codified in the Gesetz über Urheberrecht und verwandte Schutzrechte (also referred to as Urhebergesetz or Urheberrechtsgesetz and abbreviated UrhG). 

Source: Wikipedia 🔗

System 🤖

Operator:
Developer: OpenAI
Country: Germany
Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts
Purpose: Generate text
Technology: Chatbot; Generative AI; Machine learning
Issue: Cheating/plagiarism; Copyright; Ethics/values

Page info
Type: Issue
Published: November 2024