Hollywood Workers Are Training AI Models as Job Prospects Grow Slim

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In 2023, concerns over the rise of generative AI animated the writers’ and actors’ strikes, with many rank-and-file workers fearful that it could put wide swaths of the entertainment industry out of work. Three years later, with those concerns still alive and well, some Hollywood workers have been moonlighting in AI training, working to help improve the tech, anyway. As the traditional film and television job market narrows, this kind of gig work is on the rise and current and former entertainment workers are taking part.

Source: Hollywood Workers Are Training AI Models as Job Prospects Grow Slim

Spotify wins dismissal of lawsuit claiming it allowed ‘billions’ of fraudulent Drake streams

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A US federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action that accused Spotify of allowing billions of bot-generated fake streams to inflate the play counts of Drake and other artists. Judge Josephine Staton, of the US District Court for the Central District of California, granted Spotify‘s motion to dismiss on Monday (June 22). The case was brought by Eric Dwayne Collins, the rapper known as RBX, who claimed Spotify‘s failure to curb “mass-scale fraudulent streaming” had stripped royalties from other rights holders.

Source: Spotify wins dismissal of lawsuit claiming it allowed ‘billions’ of fraudulent Drake streams

Amended Complaint Filed in Taylor Swift Trademark Case

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The amended complaint names four defendants: Swift; her rights-management company, TAS Rights Management; UMG Recordings; and UMG‘s merchandise arm, Bravado International Group Merchandising Services. It assigns each a separate role, stating that Swift selected, approved, and promoted the designation, that TAS owns and licenses it, that UMG distributes the recordings and related goods, and that Bravado designs, manufactures, and sells the merchandise.

Source: Amended Complaint Filed in Taylor Swift Trademark Case

The EU’s AI Transparency Code of Practice, Explained

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In June, the European Commission published the final version of the Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content (Code). Its release nearly completes the largest part of the Commission’s broader effort to develop supporting documents aimed at facilitating compliance with the transparency obligations under Article 50 of the AI Act before those obligations take effect. The Code was developed by independent experts in a multi-stakeholder process coordinated by the AI Office.

Source: The EU’s AI Transparency Code of Practice, Explained

Hollywood and Big Tech Are Preparing For War

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As tech and AI companies push further into entertainment and media, their stewardship of that content (or lack thereof) is becoming a story into itself. At the same time, strategic maneuvers by Amazon, YouTube and Meta appear designed to take over the biggest screen in the home: The TV set, ultimately stealing time from legacy studios in what is effectively a zero sum game.

Source: Hollywood and Big Tech Are Preparing For War

New Lawsuit Accuses Spotify of ‘Undisclosed Filtering Practices’ to Boost Majors Over Indies

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Mark Kratter, who appears to release music as part of a namesake band, submitted the concise complaint to the Stamford Superior Court. Off the bat, the action reads like a recap of well-established facts concerning Spotify’s far-from-ideal royalty realities. However, the suit, alleging violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and more, doesn’t solely retread already-covered angles.

Source: New Lawsuit Accuses Spotify of ‘Undisclosed Filtering Practices’ to Boost Majors Over Indies

UK news industry backs law to stop deceptive AI scraping

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A proposed UK law is being drafted to stop companies deploying AI bots from using deceptive tactics to scrape websites. The Automated Online Software (Access and Transparency) Bill is unlikely to become law, unless it secures backing from the Government, but it has the support of publishers and could well help shape other legislation. The move follows New York state passing the Stealth Crawler Preservation Act.

Source: UK news industry backs law to stop deceptive AI scraping

29 Organizations Call on Labels and Publishers to End ‘Default Opt-Ins,’ ‘Forced AI Clauses’

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Looks like the AFM’s lawsuit against Universal Music and Warner Music was just the beginning. Now, 29 organizations are calling on labels and publishers to prioritize “meaningful consent, fair remuneration and full transparency” in their AI licensing agreements. Those organizations, repping artists, songwriters, and music managers alike, today voiced several pressing concerns in an open letter. In their view, as gen AI pacts continue to pour in, creatives themselves “are not being meaningfully consulted” despite being “the primary holders of many of the rights at stake.”

Source: 29 Organizations Call on Labels and Publishers to End ‘Default Opt-Ins,’ ‘Forced AI Clauses,’

Getty Images makes a surprise deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI

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On Sunday, Getty Images said it has entered into a partnership with OpenAI. The deal will see images from Getty’s licensed content libraries surface in OpenAI search results and “discovery experiences within ChatGPT.” “High‑quality, licensed visual content makes AI‑powered search and discovery more useful and more trustworthy,” Getty CEO Craig Peters said in a statement. “This partnership with OpenAI reflects a shared recognition of that, and together we will deliver richer visual experiences to ChatGPT users.”

Source: Getty Images makes a surprise deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI

The Atlantic created a searchable database of the music used to train AI

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Atlantic reporter Alex Reisner recently uncovered four datasets of music being used to train AI models and made them fully searchable for the public. Two of the sets are absolutely enormous at 12 million and 9 million tracks. The other two are much smaller, but still represent a significant amount of training data at over 100,000 songs each. According to Reisner, the sets have been downloaded thousands of times.

Source: The Atlantic created a searchable database of the music used to train AI

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