Federal Judge Likely to Dismiss Majority of Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Anthropic

A federal judge is reportedly poised to dismiss most of a high-profile copyright infringement lawsuit filed by music publishers against AI company Anthropic.

This development emerged following a December 19th hearing on Anthropic’s motion to dismiss, in which the court signaled that two out of the three claims against the company might be tossed, though allegations regarding the AI giant’s profits from the alleged infringement could proceed.

The lawsuit, initially filed earlier this year, accuses Anthropic of using copyrighted music compositions without permission to train its AI chatbot, Claude, leading to potential copyright violations in its outputs. The plaintiffs, which include major music publishers, have argued that Anthropic benefited financially from these infringements and intentionally removed copyright management information.

However, during the recent Zoom hearing, the judge indicated that the claims related to Anthropic’s knowledge of the alleged infringements were too vague to proceed. The publishers’ assertion that Anthropic had direct financial benefit from the alleged infringing activity was found to be more substantiated, allowing that claim to continue.

The judge also signaled that the plaintiffs would have the opportunity to amend and refile the dismissed claims, offering them a potential path to further pursue the case.

The case is part of a larger trend of ongoing legal battles between rightsholders and AI companies, as generative AI technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace. While the Anthropic case may not go to trial until at least 2026, the outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for how copyright law is applied to AI and machine learning in the future.

The music publishers involved have yet to publicly comment on the developments, but they are likely to scrutinize the judge’s decision closely, particularly the opportunity to amend their claims.

This case follows a broader pattern of challenges for content creators in the evolving landscape of AI, where the use of copyrighted material for training models without permission has become a central issue.

As the legal wrangling continues, the regulatory environment for generative AI is also heating up. In the U.K., lawmakers are considering proposals that would allow tech firms to use protected materials for training AI models, while in the European Union, discussions surrounding the enforcement of the AI Act remain ongoing.

While the Anthropic case is far from over, it highlights the complex intersection of AI innovation, copyright law, and the rights of content creators in a rapidly changing technological landscape.