- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
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."
C.Smith--CPN