A U.S. appeals court ruled that 'Top Gun: Maverick' did not infringe on a 1983 magazine article by Ehud Yonay, dismissing claims that the film shared substantial similarities with the article, and upheld a previous dismissal of the case.
George R.R. Martin and other authors are suing OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement through AI training on copyrighted books, illegal downloading from shadow libraries, and the similarity of AI-generated responses to original works. A recent court ruling has favored the authors, allowing multiple infringement theories to proceed, and suggesting that ChatGPT's outputs may infringe on copyrighted material, potentially leading to significant damages.
Sony has criticized Tencent's defense in a copyright lawsuit, accusing Tencent of copying elements of Horizon Zero Dawn in its game Light of Motiram, and dismissing Tencent's claims that the case is premature. Sony emphasizes ongoing damage and alleges Tencent's continued promotion of the infringing game despite legal actions, including accusations of brand and character copying. The case remains active.
Penske Media Corporation has sued Google, accusing the tech giant of illegally using news publisher content to create AI summaries that harm their business, and of coercing publishers into allowing content republishing and training AI models, which has led to declines in traffic and revenue for publishers like Rolling Stone.
Anthropic has agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a lawsuit filed by authors alleging the company used pirated books to train AI models, marking one of the largest copyright recoveries in history. The case centered on the unauthorized use of around 500,000 works, with the settlement potentially increasing if more works are included. The lawsuit highlights ongoing legal challenges in AI training practices and copyright law.
Netflix and director Adam McKay successfully dismissed a copyright lawsuit from Darren Hunter, who claimed the film 'Don't Look Up' was based on his novel. The judge ruled that the novel and the film are sufficiently different, with the lawsuit being dismissed on legal grounds.
Tencent has quietly updated the Steam page for its upcoming game Light of Motiram, removing key art and changing the description, shortly after Sony filed a lawsuit accusing Tencent of copying elements from the Horizon series. The game, developed by Polaris Quest, features mechanized animal-like creatures and a post-apocalyptic setting, resembling Horizon's aesthetic, leading to allegations of copyright infringement.
Midjourney has released a new AI video tool capable of generating animated clips of copyrighted Disney and Universal characters, sparking a major lawsuit from these studios alleging copyright infringement. Despite some guardrails, the tool can still produce videos of characters like Wall-E and Yoda in adult scenarios, raising concerns about intellectual property violations and the effectiveness of current safeguards.
Midjourney has launched its first AI video-generation tool, allowing users to create short videos from images, despite being sued by Disney and NBCUniversal for copyright infringement. The new tool offers affordable pricing and features like image animation and scene interaction, with the company's long-term goal of real-time 3D AI imagery. The lawsuit alleges Midjourney profits from copyrighted characters and images, but the company emphasizes responsible use and innovation in AI technology.
Midjourney has launched its first AI video generator, allowing users to create short videos from images or text prompts, with plans for more features. The tool is currently available on the web and Discord for a subscription fee, but faces legal challenges from Disney and Universal over copyright concerns. The company views this as a stepping stone toward more advanced AI simulations.
Suno has launched its latest AI music-generating model, V4, which offers more realistic and sophisticated music production capabilities. Despite facing a copyright lawsuit from the recording industry, Suno has become a leading generative AI service, attracting users including notable artists like Timbaland. The new model allows for advanced human-AI collaboration, enabling users to create music from text prompts or existing audio. Suno aims to involve non-musicians in music creation while navigating legal challenges and seeking partnerships with artists and labels.
A California judge is "inclined" to dismiss a copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey over her hit song "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The lawsuit, filed by Mississippi artist Vince Vance, claims Carey's song infringes on his 1989 track of the same name. Despite Vance's detailed accusations of similarity, Carey's legal team argues the claims fail the "extrinsic test for substantial similarity." The judge is also considering sanctions against the plaintiffs for a "frivolous" filing.
Former New Orleans bounce group Da Showstoppaz has filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against Big Freedia and Beyoncé, alleging that parts of their song "Release A Wiggle" were used without permission in Big Freedia's "Explode" and subsequently sampled in Beyoncé's "Break My Soul."
Beyoncé is being sued by New Orleans group Da Showstoppaz for allegedly using a sample from their 2002 song "Release a Wiggle" in her hit track "Break My Soul," which features a Big Freedia sample. The lawsuit claims that Big Freedia's 2014 track "Explode" illegally used their copyrighted lyrics, melody, and musical arrangement. The group is seeking credit and compensation for the use of their work.
Paramount Studios successfully defended against a copyright lawsuit filed by the family of Ehud Yonay, whose 1983 magazine article inspired the original "Top Gun" film. The U.S. District Judge dismissed the case, stating that the sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick," was largely dissimilar to the original article. The family alleged that Paramount failed to renegotiate a new license before creating the film, but the judge found that the elements of "Maverick" did not overlap with Yonay's article. Despite the dismissal, the family's attorney plans to appeal the ruling to the 9th Circuit.