A California federal judge indicated on Thursday that she is leaning toward dismissing parts of a copyright lawsuit filed by music publishers against Anthropic PBC, the AI company accused of training its chatbot, Claude, using copyrighted song lyrics. The case, which has garnered attention for its novel legal implications, includes allegations of contributory infringement, vicarious infringement, and the unlawful removal or alteration of copyright management information.
U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee, presiding over the case, said during a Zoom hearing that some of the claims made by the music publishers were “so general” and might require further clarification. She tentatively ruled in favor of allowing the plaintiffs to amend their complaint. Importantly, Anthropic’s motion does not address the primary claim of direct copyright infringement, which remains intact.
Concerns Over Generalized Allegations
During the hearing, Judge Lee noted her concern about the broad nature of some of the allegations but expressed confidence that the issues could be addressed through amendment.
