3 Count: Artificial Music

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1: US Record Labels Sue AI Music Generators Suno and Udio for Copyright Infringement

First off today, Kate Knibbs at Wired reports that a group of music labels has filed a pair of lawsuits against AI startups Suno and Udio.

According to the lawsuits, both companies trained their AI systems on music owned by the labels without a license. They allege that not only is the training itself an infringement but that the systems’ output often repeats or closely mimics copyright-protected works.

Suno’s CEO responded to the lawsuit, saying that their systems are “transformative” and are protected by fair use. This is not the first such lawsuit filed by the labels, who have an ongoing case against Anthropic. However, that case deals only with lyrics, whereas this case also looks at music.

2: 1.3m Pirate IPTV Users ‘Blacked Out’ During Euro 2024, Italian Police Claim

Next up today, Andy Maxwell at Torrentfreak writes that Italy’s Guardia di Finanza has reported that, during the recent Euro 2024 soccer tournament, the organization targeted 13 IPTV services and “blacked out” some 1.3 million pirate customers.

According to the organization, the move wasn’t made by arresting suspected pirates or seizing assets. Instead, they obscured the digital signal to those providing it on pirate services, cutting the transmission.

Based on previous estimates, that number could represent as much as half of all pirating users in Italy. However, the move raises questions on how it will impact legitimate broadcasting, which often uses techniques similar to pirate services.

3: Copyright Questions Derailed California Plan to Develop Its Own Bar Exam

Finally today, Karen Sloan at Reuters reports that the State Bar of California is facing new challenges in developing its version of the bar exam.

The California Bar previously partnered with Kaplan Test Prep to create a new exam separate from the MultiState Bar Exam used in the national test. However, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has sent Kaplan a warning letter, cautioning them against using any copyright-protected questions from their exams.

Kaplan has been licensing questions and answers from the NCBE for its test preparation program. The multiple-choice questions are part of a multi-day Bar Exam, including essay questions and a performance test. The California Bar had already created the other elements but hoped to develop the full test themselves. They have until November 1 to decide on the 2025 exam.

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