News/Copyright
4 strategies to safeguard your artwork from AI
The rapid rise of generative AI has sparked concerns among artists about unauthorized use of their work for training AI systems, leading to legal battles and the development of protective measures. Current landscape: The ongoing conflict between artists and AI companies has intensified as more businesses replace human creativity with AI-generated content. Recent controversy emerged when Coca-Cola created a Christmas advertisement using generative AI Multiple lawsuits have been filed by artists and writers against AI companies over unauthorized data scraping Tech companies defend their practices by claiming public internet content falls under fair use Technical solutions and tools: Several defensive...
read Nov 18, 2024David Attenborough disgusted by unauthorized AI voice clone in documentary
The rise of AI voice cloning technology has reached a concerning milestone with the unauthorized replication of renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough's voice, highlighting growing concerns about digital impersonation and truth in media. Initial Discovery: The BBC recently uncovered an AI-generated clone of David Attenborough's voice promoting a documentary series about Asia, demonstrating the sophisticated capabilities of current voice synthesis technology. The broadcaster's researchers found the AI-generated clip online, which was played alongside a genuine recording of Attenborough BBC host Kasia Madera noted that the two recordings were nearly indistinguishable, stating she "wouldn't know if I didn't know" Attenborough's Response:...
read Nov 18, 2024HarperCollins seeks AI training rights from authors
The publishing industry continues to grapple with artificial intelligence as HarperCollins explores a new frontier in AI training data licensing, offering authors compensation for the use of their works in machine learning. Key development: HarperCollins has established an agreement with an unnamed AI company to utilize select nonfiction books for AI model training, with authors having full control over participation. The publishing house is offering authors $2,500 for a three-year license to use their books in AI training The agreement currently focuses specifically on nonfiction titles from the publisher's backlist Authors must explicitly opt-in to participate in the program Industry...
read Nov 18, 2024How the Copyright Clearance Center thinks about responsible AI
The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) is pioneering new approaches to manage copyrighted content usage in artificial intelligence systems, addressing a critical challenge at the intersection of publishing and AI technology. Key initiative: CCC has developed the industry's first collective licensing solution for AI-related content use, following 18 months of consultation with stakeholders. The solution modifies CCC's existing annual blanket license to incorporate AI reuse rights for internal purposes The new licensing framework launched in mid-July 2024, representing a significant step forward in balancing AI innovation with copyright protection The license operates globally, particularly benefiting multinational companies requiring worldwide content access...
read Nov 18, 2024The massive Hollywood database being used to train the biggest AI models
The rapid adoption of movie and TV show dialogue for AI training has sparked controversy in Hollywood, raising questions about copyright, consent, and the future of creative work. The scope of unauthorized data usage: A massive collection of subtitles from over 53,000 movies and 85,000 TV episodes has been utilized by major tech companies including Apple, Anthropic, Meta, and Nvidia to train their AI systems. The dataset includes dialogue from iconic shows like The Simpsons, Seinfeld, The Wire, and Breaking Bad, as well as every Best Picture nominee from 1950 to 2016 Even pre-written dialogue from awards shows like the...
read Nov 15, 2024OpenAI accused of profiting from model inspection in NYT lawsuit
The struggle between technology companies and media organizations over AI model transparency and copyright protection has reached a critical juncture in the legal battle between OpenAI and The New York Times. Core dispute: OpenAI's proposed model inspection protocol has sparked controversy over access costs and limitations placed on the examination process. OpenAI suggested allowing NYT to hire an expert to review confidential materials in a controlled environment The company proposed capping queries at $15,000 worth of retail credits, with additional queries charged at half-retail prices NYT estimates needing $800,000 worth of credits for a thorough inspection, claiming OpenAI's pricing far...
read Nov 13, 2024The AI lab defending artists against exploitative practices in AI
The development of AI protection tools by researchers has sparked a significant shift in how artists can defend their work against unauthorized use in AI training datasets, marking a key development in the ongoing debate over AI and creative rights. The innovation breakthrough: The University of Chicago's SAND Lab has created two groundbreaking tools that give artists more control over how their work can be used by AI systems. Glaze, which has seen over 4 million downloads since March 2023, applies a protective layer to images that prevents AI systems from accurately learning and replicating an artist's unique style Nightshade...
read Nov 8, 2024OpenAI has won a legal battle against publishers, but the war will continue
OpenAI secures legal victory in copyright case: A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against OpenAI brought by independent publishers Alternet and Raw Story, marking a significant development in the ongoing legal battles between AI companies and content creators. The case, filed in the US Southern District of New York, focused on alleged violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by OpenAI. Judge Colleen McMahon ruled that the publishers lacked legal standing to bring the claim, citing insufficient proof that ChatGPT was trained on their material or that such training caused harm. This dismissal represents a major setback for the...
read Nov 8, 2024OpenAI wins data scraping lawsuit against Raw Story in NY court
AI copyright lawsuit dismissed: A federal court in New York has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI, brought by alternative news outlets Raw Story and AlterNet. The plaintiffs alleged that OpenAI violated copyright laws by using their articles to train ChatGPT and other AI models without preserving copyright management information (CMI). The case centered on Section 1202(b) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which protects CMI such as author names and titles. Judge Colleen McMahon granted OpenAI's motion to dismiss, citing lack of standing as the plaintiffs couldn't demonstrate concrete injury from OpenAI's actions. Key legal considerations: The...
read Oct 31, 2024Why AI search could break the internet
The AI search revolution and its legal implications: News Corp's lawsuit against Perplexity AI for copyright infringement has brought to light the broader challenges posed by AI search engines to the digital economy and content creation ecosystem. The lawsuit highlights the potential disruption caused by AI search tools like Perplexity, Google's Gemini, and OpenAI's SearchGPT, which summarize information from websites, potentially reducing traffic to original sources. This legal action underscores the growing tension between AI companies and content creators, as the former leverage vast amounts of online information to power their search capabilities. Limitations of copyright law in addressing AI...
read Oct 29, 2024How AI-generated song ‘BBL Drizzy’ paved the way for new era of creation
AI music breakthrough: The debut of "BBL Drizzy," an AI-generated song by comedian Will Hatcher, marked a significant milestone in the evolution of artificial intelligence in music production. Hatcher, known as King Willonius, utilized AI tools for music generation like Suno and Udio to create the music and vocals, while personally crafting the lyrics. The song gained widespread attention when it was sampled by renowned producer Metro Boomin for a diss track during the high-profile Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud. This incident highlights the growing influence and potential of AI-generated music in the mainstream music industry. Revolutionizing music creation: AI tools are...
read Oct 28, 2024Perplexity AI search engine hits 100M weekly queries
AI search startup Perplexity reports significant user engagement: Perplexity, an artificial intelligence-powered search engine, is experiencing substantial growth with over 100 million queries processed weekly, according to its CEO. Perplexity's CEO has announced that the AI search engine is handling more than 100 million queries per week, indicating strong user adoption and engagement. This level of usage suggests that Perplexity is gaining traction in the competitive search engine market, potentially challenging established players. Legal challenges amid growth: Despite its reported success, Perplexity is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with a major media conglomerate. News Corp has filed a lawsuit...
read Oct 25, 2024OpenAI whistleblower speaks out on company’s data scraping policies
Whistleblower exposes OpenAI's controversial data practices: A former OpenAI researcher has come forward with allegations of copyright infringement and concerns about the company's business model, potentially disrupting the internet landscape. The whistleblower's background and claims: Suchir Balaji, a 25-year-old who worked at OpenAI for four years, left the company due to ethical concerns regarding its AI training practices. Balaji argues that OpenAI's mass scraping of online material for AI model training no longer qualifies as fair use due to the heavy commercialization of products like ChatGPT. He contends that OpenAI's current approach threatens the livelihoods and profit models of individuals...
read Oct 23, 2024ABBA, Radiohead among creative group who sign AI protest letter
AI and creative works: A growing controversy: Musicians, actors, and authors have united in a protest against the unauthorized use of their artistic works to train artificial intelligence systems, highlighting the escalating tension between creative industries and AI technology. ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, The Cure's Robert Smith, and Radiohead members, including Thom Yorke, are among the thousands of artists who signed a petition released on Tuesday. The letter warns against the "unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI," describing it as a "major, unjust threat" to artists' livelihoods. Notable signatories also include Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and actors...
read Oct 22, 2024News Corp lawsuit may hinder Perplexity’s valuation and growth
AI startup faces legal challenge over content usage: News Corp has filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI, alleging copyright infringement and revenue diversion through the unauthorized use of content from its media outlets. Dow Jones & Company and NYP Holdings, both owned by News Corp, are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in New York against Perplexity AI. The media companies claim that Perplexity is illegally copying copyrighted works and redirecting customers and revenues away from copyright holders. Core allegations and arguments: The lawsuit contends that Perplexity AI's practices constitute copyright violations and unfair competition, potentially damaging the reputation of...
read Oct 22, 2024Movie studio sues Musk for imitating Blade Runner in Tesla event
Tesla faces legal battle over alleged copyright infringement: Alcon Entertainment, the production company behind 'Blade Runner 2049', has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery for unauthorized use of the film's imagery during Tesla's recent Cybercab event. The lawsuit stems from Tesla's "We, Robot" event on October 10, 2024, where Musk unveiled two new self-driving vehicles: the Cybercab and the Robovan. Alcon Entertainment claims that Tesla used AI-generated images mimicking visuals from 'Blade Runner 2049' without permission during the live-streamed event. The production company alleges that Tesla's actions were intentional and aimed at making the event more...
read Oct 21, 2024Dow Jones sues AI startup Perplexity over copyright infringement
AI startup faces legal challenge over copyright infringement: News Corp subsidiaries Dow Jones & Co. and the New York Post have filed a lawsuit against Perplexity, an AI-powered information discovery platform, alleging massive copyright infringement of their content. The lawsuit's core allegations: Perplexity is accused of illegally copying copyrighted works from publishers and diverting readers and revenue away from the original content creators. The plaintiffs claim Perplexity's "Skip the Links" feature allows users to access information without visiting the original publishers' websites, potentially harming their business models. Dow Jones and the New York Post assert they attempted to address the...
read Oct 19, 2024Penguin Random House bans AI training on its books
Publishers take a stand on AI training: Penguin Random House, a major book publisher, has introduced new language on copyright pages to explicitly prohibit the use of their books for training artificial intelligence systems. The updated copyright page now states that no part of the book may be used or reproduced "for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems." This change applies to both new releases and reprinted books, signaling a clear stance against unauthorized AI training using their content. Penguin Random House also reserves the work from text and data mining exceptions in accordance with European Union...
read Oct 15, 2024New York Times targets Perplexity over AI content scraping
Legal clash over AI content usage: The New York Times has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity, an AI startup backed by Jeff Bezos, demanding it stop using the newspaper's content without authorization. The Times accuses Perplexity of unjust enrichment through unauthorized use of its journalism, giving the startup an October 30 deadline to respond. The newspaper alleges that Perplexity has circumvented its anti-scraping and anti-bot measures, specifically mentioning "PerplexityBot" in its robots.txt file. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas expressed interest in collaboration with publishers, including The New York Times, stating they have no intention of being antagonistic. Perplexity's stance and...
read Oct 8, 2024Adobe’s new web app will protect artists’ work — here’s how to sign up
Adobe's new tool for digital content authentication: Adobe has unveiled a web application called Adobe Content Authenticity, designed to empower creators with the ability to watermark their artwork and opt out of AI model training usage. The application enables artists to explicitly indicate their non-consent for the use of their work in AI model training. Creators can add "content credentials" to their work, including verified identity and social media handles, enhancing attribution and ownership. The tool is built on C2PA, an internet protocol that allows for secure labeling of content with origin information. Adobe Content Authenticity is designed to work...
read Oct 7, 2024Artist challenges copyright ruling on AI-generated prize winner
AI-generated art sparks copyright controversy: The denial of copyright registration for Jason Allen's AI-assisted artwork "Théâtre D'opéra Spatial" has ignited a debate about the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law. Jason Allen, an artist who won a state fair art competition with his AI-generat-ed piece, is appealing the US Copyright Office's decision to refuse copyright registration for his work. The Copyright Office justified its denial by claiming the artwork was predominantly generated by AI and lacked sufficient human authorship to qualify for copyright protection. Allen's appeal challenges this decision, arguing that the Copyright Office misunderstood the creative process involved...
read Oct 3, 2024What other industries can learn from creatives’ fight against AI
Hollywood's AI Showdown: Lessons for Other Industries: The Writers Guild of America's (WGA) recent strike over artificial intelligence and compensation issues offers valuable insights for sectors grappling with AI's impact on the workplace. The WGA's nearly 150-day strike in 2023 centered on objections to AI models being trained on creative content without consent, highlighting the growing tension between technological advancement and intellectual property rights. Other creative groups, including the Graphic Artists Guild and Authors Guild, have voiced similar concerns about AI's use of copyrighted work, indicating a broader trend across creative industries. Key Concerns in the AI Debate: The entertainment...
read Oct 1, 2024YouTuber claims AI company stole his voice for chatbot
AI-Generated Voice Controversy Sparks Ethical Debate: YouTuber Jeff Geerling's recent experience with unauthorized AI voice cloning by electronics company Elecrow has reignited discussions about the ethical implications of AI-generated content. Geerling, a software developer with approximately 700,000 YouTube subscribers, discovered that Elecrow had used an AI-generated version of his voice in dozens of promotional tutorials without his knowledge or consent. The company's CEO apologized and promptly removed the videos after Geerling raised the issue, highlighting the swift action taken in response to the controversy. This incident is not isolated, as voice actors and celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, and...
read Oct 1, 2024AI artist fumes as creations spark widespread copying
AI-Generated Art Sparks Copyright Controversy: Jason Allen, who previously won a fine arts competition with an AI-generated image, is embroiled in a legal battle over copyright protection for his work, highlighting the complex intersection of artificial intelligence and intellectual property rights. The background: Allen's image "Théâtre D'opéra Spatial," created using the AI tool Midjourney, won a fine arts competition two years ago but was denied copyright protection by the US Copyright Office. The Copyright Office ruled that the image did not exhibit sufficient human authorship to warrant full copyright protection, allowing Allen to claim credit only for specific portions he...
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