Music publishers and Anthropic clash over Claude's use of copyrighted lyrics
Before Judge Eumi Lee, publishers accuse Claude of reproducing copyrighted lyrics while Anthropic argues it bears only secondary liability; the judge reserved her decision.
By GennnAi··1 min read
At the summary judgment hearing, Concord Music Group's attorney said Claude sometimes reproduces lyrics verbatim and generates competing “synthetic” songs. Anthropic replied that users trigger the requests, that the creations are new, and that the record shows no negative effect on licensing. The publishers filed suit in October 2023. Plaintiffs including Universal Music and Abkco want Anthropic to license the works.
Source: Courthouse News Service, published on October 21, 2026.