Sony and Warner Music Sue Anthropic for Copyright Infringement

Sony Music and Warner Music's publishing arms filed a lawsuit in a California federal court, alleging that Anthropic used copyright-protected song lyrics and notes without permission to train its Claude AI models. The lawsuit claims that works by the Beatles, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, and hundreds of other artists were obtained via torrent downloads. The companies argue that Anthropic views this theft as part of its business model and that a previous $1.5 billion settlement was not a deterrent.

Anthropic denies the allegations, stating they have been raised in previous lawsuits and that AI training falls under "fair use." The company says it will defend itself "vigorously" and notes it prevailed in a previous authors' lawsuit. Sony and Warner are seeking damages of up to $150,000 per infringement and a court order blocking the use of their works.

This lawsuit is the latest in a broad wave of litigation by copyright holders against AI companies. Universal Music Group has also been pursuing similar lawsuits against Anthropic since 2023. The outcome could set a significant precedent for how copyright boundaries are drawn in AI training.