Market Developments

American Performing Musicians Against Major Record Labels

When "New Use" Leaves Musicians Unpaid

Wednesday, 26 August 2026

A lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group has been filed by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). The powerful union accuses the record labels of licensing the musical works of its members, performing musicians, to AI companies (such as Suno and Udio), without payment or recognition, in violation of collective labor agreements.

Sony Music Sues Udio Over More Than 30,000 Musical Works

MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

Tuesday, 11 August 2026

While the landscape surrounding Generative AI (GenAI) and music copyrights remains vast and uncertain, Sony Music Entertainment is carving out a new legal path.

Landmark decision: GEMA’s wins copyright lawsuit against Suno

MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

Tuesday, 04 August 2026

The court ruled in favor of the German CMO (GEMA), dismissing Suno's arguments to date and recalling a fundamental principle: technological progress must serve as a partner, not as an unfair competitor, to human creativity.

Anthropic's $1.5 Billion Settlement with Authors and Rightsholders

MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

Thursday, 23 July 2026

The company entered into a historic out-of-court settlement of $1.5 billion as compensation for the pirated use of many literary works. Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson are the three authors who initiated the case in 2024, bringing it to light as one of the largest intellectual property cases in recent years. 

CISAC: 100 years in the service of creators

“Creativity is what makes us human”

Friday, 03 July 2026

Creators from around the world gathered in Paris for the CISAC General Assembly to defend the future of human creativity in the age of AI, while celebrating the Confederation’s centenary of service to creators in collective management. The CISAC centenary General Assembly culminated in the ceremonial signing of the Paris Commitment.

Björn Ulvaeus—100 Years of CISAC: Music as a Testimony of Life

Friday, 03 July 2026

"Human creativity is not merely an expression; it's a testimony to a life lived. " With these words, composer and CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus concluded his speech marking the centenary of the CISAC. Although the issue of AI dominated Ulvaeus’s address, it was not the ultimate focus of his remarks, but rather the starting point for a deeper reflection.

Human Consent Standard: Kate Blanchett, George Clooney and Meryl Streep support a new consent system for AI

Friday, 03 July 2026

Kate Blanchett co-founds RSL Media, a non-profit organization that aims to give creators and everyday users a way to declare whether they allow or prohibit the use of their image, voice, and works by Artificial Intelligence systems.

YouTube expands AI deepfake detection tool to all adult creators

MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

Sunday, 17 May 2026

Until recently, this feature was in a pilot stage, initially limited to members of the YouTube Partner Program and, as of March 2026, to government officials and journalists. The current upgrade makes the tool accessible to the wider creator community, regardless of the number of subscribers or the monetization status of their channel.

Historic ruling of the EU Court in favor of press publishers against digital platforms

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK / CASE LAW

Wednesday, 13 May 2026

The Court of the EU issued a historic ruling on 12/5/2026, deciding that Member States may legally impose on platforms the payment of fair remuneration to press publishers and journalists for the use of content by digital platforms, as well as establish procedures requiring platforms to negotiate with press publishers and provide them with the necessary data for determining remuneration.

"Actors" and scripts created by Artificial Intelligence will not be among the Oscar nominations

MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

Friday, 01 May 2026

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued new rules clarifying that "actors" and scripts that are the product of Artificial Intelligence will not be eligible for the Oscars. The changes by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apply to submissions for the upcoming Oscar ceremony, which is scheduled for March 2027.

Electronic music: How major festivals and AI boosted the industry to 15 billion dollars

MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

Wednesday, 29 April 2026

Electronic music is evolving into one of the strongest entertainment industries globally, with rising revenues, a boost in live concerts, rapid penetration of Artificial Intelligence, and new emerging markets shifting the balances.

French Senate: unanimous approval of a bill establishing the presumption of use of cultural content by AI providers

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Tuesday, 28 April 2026

The bill aims to alleviate the difficulty faced by royalties holders in proving that their works have been used without permission for training an AI model, when the training data of the model is unknown to them because it has not been disclosed by the AI providers.