- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
Did the AI Drake song breach copyright?
A viral AI-generated song imitating Drake and The Weeknd was pulled from streaming services this week, but did it actually breach copyright as claimed by record label Universal?
Created by someone called @ghostwriter, "Heart On My Sleeve" racked up millions of listens before Universal Music Group asked for its removal from Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms.
However, Andres Guadamuz, who teaches intellectual property law at Britain's University of Sussex, is not convinced that the song breached copyright.
As similar cases look set to multiply -- with an uncanny AI replication of Liam Gallagher from Oasis causing buzz -- he spoke to AFP about some of the issues being raised.
- Did the song breach copyright?-
The underlying music on "Heart On My Sleeve" was new -- only the sound of the voice was familiar -- "and you can't copyright the sound of someone's voice," said Guadamuz.
Perhaps the furore around AI impersonators may lead to copyright being expanded to include voice -- rather than just melody, lyrics and other created elements -- "but that would be problematic," Guadamuz added.
"What you're protecting with copyright is the expression of an idea, and voice isn't really that."
He said Universal probably claimed copyright infringement because it is the simplest route to removing content, with established procedures already in place with streaming platforms.
"Most of the time, these issues are not resolved by law, but just by record companies making a stink with the platforms. It's easier for the platform just to comply," said Guadamuz.
- Were other rights breached?
An AI-generated impersonator may be breaching other laws.
If an artist has a distinctive voice or image, this is potentially protected under "publicity rights" in the United States or similar image rights in other countries.
Bette Midler won a case against Ford in 1988 for using an impersonator of her in an advert. Tom Waits won a similar case in 1993 against the Frito-Lays potato chips company.
The problem, said Guadamuz, is that enforcement of these rights is "very hit and miss" and taken much more seriously in some countries than others.
And streaming platforms currently lack straightforward mechanisms for removing content seen as breaching image rights.
- What comes next?
The big upcoming legal fight is over how AI programmes are trained.
It may be argued that inputting existing Drake and Weeknd songs to train an AI programme may be a breach of copyright -- but Guadamuz said this issue was far from settled.
"You need to copy the music in order to train the AI and so that unauthorised copying could potentially be copyright infringement," he said.
"But defendants will say it's fair use. They are using it to train a machine, teaching it to listen to music, and then removing the copies.
"Ultimately, we will have to wait and see for the case law to be decided."
But it is almost certainly too late to stem the flood.
"Bands are going to have to decide whether they want to pursue this in court, and copyright cases are expensive," said Guadamuz.
"Some artists may lean into the technology and start using it themselves -- especially if they start losing their voice."
F.Cardoso--PC