{"id":651,"date":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/ai-copyright-lawsuits-music-publishers\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:00:00","slug":"ai-copyright-lawsuits-music-publishers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/blog\/ai-copyright-lawsuits-music-publishers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirated datasets, the new front: music publishers sue Anthropic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On 28 August 2026, Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music and affiliated companies sued Anthropic in federal court in California, alleging that lyrics and sheet music were obtained by torrenting pirated books, scraping and other unlicensed sources, and then used to train the Claude models. It is the latest of the AI copyright lawsuits music publishers have brought in the US, where AI copyright suits of all kinds reached 140 on 31 August by one tracker&#8217;s count. For catalogue owners in Spain and Latin America, the lesson is that how training data was acquired now weighs as much as the training itself.<\/p>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The complaint (case 5:26-cv-09217, N.D. California) names Anthropic and two of its founders and pleads infringement by torrenting, infringement in training and outputs, and removal of copyright management information.<\/li>\n<li>These are allegations: Anthropic has not yet filed a response, and nothing has been decided on the merits.<\/li>\n<li>The case builds on Bartz v Anthropic, where a judge held in 2025 that training was fair use but <strong>pirated library copies were not<\/strong>; that case settled for USD 1.5 billion, approved on 20 July 2026.<\/li>\n<li>Spanish-language catalogues are already in the fight: a publisher whose catalogue includes regional Mexican music sued Suno on 31 August.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What does the music publishers&#8217; complaint against Anthropic allege?<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/74720572\/sony-music-publishing-us-llc-v-anthropic-pbc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">complaint filed on 28 August 2026<\/a> in the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, is brought by Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc. and some thirty affiliated publishers. Its four counts are:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Count<\/th>\n<th>Claim<\/th>\n<th>Against<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>I<\/td>\n<td>Direct infringement by torrenting books containing lyrics and sheet music<\/td>\n<td>Anthropic and two founders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>II<\/td>\n<td>Contributory infringement by torrenting<\/td>\n<td>The two founders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>III<\/td>\n<td>Direct infringement through copying for training and in model outputs<\/td>\n<td>Anthropic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>IV<\/td>\n<td>Removal or alteration of copyright management information (17 U.S.C. \u00a7 1202)<\/td>\n<td>Anthropic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The publishers allege that their works were obtained from the LibGen and PiLiMi pirate libraries, by scraping lyrics websites, by scanning second-hand books and from datasets such as Common Crawl, The Pile and Books3. They seek statutory damages of up to USD 150,000 per work for wilful infringement, an injunction and an accounting of training data.<\/p>\n<h2>Why how the data was obtained now matters<\/h2>\n<p>The complaint leans heavily on Bartz v Anthropic, a class action by book authors. In his <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709.231.0_5.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">order on fair use of 23 June 2025<\/a>, Judge Alsup granted summary judgment that using books to train the models was fair use, and that converting purchased print books to digital form was too. But he refused to treat pirated copies downloaded to build a central library as training copies, and sent that issue to trial.<\/p>\n<p>The case then settled. The <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709.680.0_5.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">order granting final approval of 20 July 2026<\/a> describes a non-reversionary fund of USD 1.5 billion, an estimated payment of about USD 3,000 per work and the destruction of the pirated files. The same order records Anthropic&#8217;s representation that neither the LibGen nor the PiLiMi datasets were in the training corpus of any of its commercially released models. The class covered only books registered with the US Copyright Office within set time limits.<\/p>\n<p>The shift is clear: plaintiffs now plead acquisition (torrents, pirate libraries, circumvention) as a separate wrong, so a fair use defence for training does not end the case.<\/p>\n<h2>Are AI copyright lawsuits by music publishers spreading?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes. Court records show earlier suits against Anthropic by Concord Music Group (28 January 2026), BMG Rights Management (17 March 2026) and Round Hill Music (17 August 2026), all in the Northern District of California. On 31 August 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/74725556\/gerencia-360-music-inc-v-suno-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gerencia 360 Music sued Suno and Bright Data<\/a>; the exhibit to its complaint lists Spanish-language regional Mexican songs. The <a href=\"https:\/\/chatgptiseatingtheworld.com\/2026\/08\/31\/suno-sued-again-this-time-by-gerencia-360-music-represented-by-same-law-firm-as-round-hill-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ChatGPT Is Eating the World tracker<\/a> counts it as the 140th AI copyright suit in the US.<\/p>\n<h2>US or Europe: where should Spanish and Latin American catalogues act?<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Factor<\/th>\n<th>United States<\/th>\n<th>Germany (EU)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Key precedent<\/td>\n<td>Bartz: training fair use, pirated library copies not<\/td>\n<td>GEMA v OpenAI (Munich, 11 November 2025): memorised lyrics infringe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Training abroad<\/td>\n<td>Fair use assessed case by case<\/td>\n<td>GEMA v Suno (Munich, 31 July 2026): US training assessed under US law, fair use rejected<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Registration<\/td>\n<td>Statutory damages and fees need timely registration (17 U.S.C. \u00a7 412)<\/td>\n<td>No registration requirement<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Who sues<\/td>\n<td>Publishers, class actions<\/td>\n<td>Collecting societies with special standing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lto.de\/recht\/nachrichten\/n\/42o1413924-lg-muenchen-i-gema-openai-chatgpt-songtexte-ki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GEMA v OpenAI<\/a> the Munich court held that the text and data mining exception does not cover memorisation, and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiz.bayern.de\/gerichte-und-behoerden\/landgericht\/muenchen-1\/presse\/2026\/16.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GEMA v Suno<\/a> it largely upheld GEMA&#8217;s claims; both are first-instance rulings. On registration, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chapter 4 of the US Copyright Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What this means for your business<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Audit US registrations of your most exposed works (lyrics, sheet music, recordings). Without timely registration, statutory damages are not available.<\/li>\n<li>Keep dated evidence of where your works appear: lyrics sites, songbooks, datasets, pirate libraries.<\/li>\n<li>Check your collecting society mandates in Spain, Latin America and Germany, which may decide who can sue where.<\/li>\n<li>Review licences: some publishers already license AI uses, and clear terms strengthen the case against unlicensed ones.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/services\/ai-digital-assets\/\">AI and digital assets team, focused on enforcement of copyright against AI training<\/a>, can run that audit and, with our <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/services\/legal-ip\/\">IP litigation team<\/a>, coordinate counsel in the forum you choose.<\/p>\n<h2>Where rights holders get this wrong<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Waiting for a final US ruling.<\/strong> Limitation periods and registration windows keep running.<\/li>\n<li>Assuming foreign works cannot sue in the US. They can, but remedies depend on registration.<\/li>\n<li>Filing in several countries without a plan, with inconsistent outcomes and duplicated costs.<\/li>\n<li>Ignoring outputs. Memorised lyrics in outputs feature prominently in the US complaints and were central to the German rulings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Has a court found that Anthropic infringed the music publishers&#8217; copyrights?<\/h3>\n<p>No. The complaint filed on 28 August 2026 contains allegations only. Anthropic had not responded at the time of writing, and no court has ruled on the claims. Bartz v Anthropic, a separate case, settled without a verdict.<\/p>\n<h3>Can a Spanish or Latin American publisher sue an AI company in the US?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Foreign works do not need US registration to bring a claim, but statutory damages and attorney&#8217;s fees generally require timely registration. Whether the US or an EU court is better depends on the works, the evidence and your mandates.<\/p>\n<h3>Can IP Global Guard coordinate an AI copyright claim for our catalogue?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. We audit your registrations and evidence, assess forums in Europe and the US, and coordinate qualified litigation counsel in each country, including US counsel for clients from our corridor, from a single point of contact.<\/p>\n<h2>How IP Global Guard can help protect your catalogue<\/h2>\n<p>The question is no longer only whether AI training is lawful, but how your works got into the dataset and where you can prove it. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, coordinates copyright and enforcement matters across more than 25 jurisdictions in <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/coverage\/\">Europe, Latin America and Africa<\/a>, and extends them to the US through qualified local counsel.<\/p>\n<p>Send us a list of your key works, where they are registered and any evidence of use by AI services. We will tell you which forum fits and what to secure first. <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/contact\/\">Contact our enforcement team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is general information, not legal advice; the claims described are allegations that have not been decided by any court.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/74720572\/sony-music-publishing-us-llc-v-anthropic-pbc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CourtListener (RECAP), Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC v. Anthropic PBC, 5:26-cv-09217 (N.D. Cal.), docket and complaint (28 August 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/chatgptiseatingtheworld.com\/2026\/08\/31\/suno-sued-again-this-time-by-gerencia-360-music-represented-by-same-law-firm-as-round-hill-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ChatGPT Is Eating the World, Suno sued again, by Gerencia 360 Music (31 August 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/74725556\/gerencia-360-music-inc-v-suno-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CourtListener (RECAP), Gerencia 360 Music, Inc. v. Suno, Inc., 3:26-cv-09248 (N.D. Cal.) (31 August 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709.231.0_5.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, N.D. Cal., Order on fair use (23 June 2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709\/gov.uscourts.cand.434709.680.0_5.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, N.D. Cal., Order granting final approval of class action settlement (20 July 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lto.de\/recht\/nachrichten\/n\/42o1413924-lg-muenchen-i-gema-openai-chatgpt-songtexte-ki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LTO, LG M\u00fcnchen I, GEMA v OpenAI, 42 O 14139\/24 (11 November 2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justiz.bayern.de\/gerichte-und-behoerden\/landgericht\/muenchen-1\/presse\/2026\/16.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Landgericht M\u00fcnchen I, press release 16\/2026, GEMA v Suno, 42 O 763\/25 (31 July 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">US Copyright Office, Title 17, Chapter 4 (sections 411 and 412)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell sued Anthropic on 28 August 2026 over allegedly pirated lyrics. Why data acquisition now matters and where to sue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[52,46,54],"class_list":["post-651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-digital-assets","tag-generative-ai","tag-mexico","tag-piracy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}