Indian Music Labels Join Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAI, Challenging AI Training Practices

Indian Music Industry Challenges OpenAI in Copyright Lawsuit

A group of India's leading Bollywood music labels, including T-Series, Saregama, and Sony, are seeking to join a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI in New Delhi. The legal action highlights growing concerns about the unauthorized use of sound recordings to train AI models, potentially breaching copyright laws 1

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Legal Implications and Industry Concerns

The Indian Music Industry (IMI) group, along with T-Series and Saregama India, has approached a New Delhi court to address issues related to the "unauthorised use of sound recordings" in AI model training. The music labels argue that their contentions are crucial for the entire music industry, both in India and globally 2

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T-Series, one of India's largest music record labels, releases approximately 2,000 sound recordings or songs annually. Saregama, with over a century of history, owns a repertoire of renowned Indian singers such as Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. The IMI group also represents global names like Sony Music and Warner Music 3

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Broader Legal Context

The music labels aim to join a lawsuit initially filed by Indian news agency ANI in 2024, which accused OpenAI's ChatGPT of using its content without permission for AI training. Since then, book publishers and media groups, some backed by prominent billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, have united to oppose OpenAI in the New Delhi court 4

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This legal action in India follows similar concerns raised globally. In November, Germany's GEMA, representing composers, lyricists, and publishers, sued OpenAI over ChatGPT's alleged unlicensed reproduction of song lyrics 5

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OpenAI's Response and Challenges

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, maintains that it follows fair-use principles in employing publicly available data to build its AI models. The company has opposed the ANI lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds, arguing that Indian courts lack jurisdiction as OpenAI is U.S.-based with servers abroad 1

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Future Implications

The next hearing in this landmark case is scheduled for February 21, 2025. The outcome is expected to shape the future of how AI models use copyrighted content in India, potentially setting a precedent for similar cases worldwide 2

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OpenAI's Engagement with India

Despite the legal challenges, OpenAI continues to engage with India. CEO Sam Altman recently visited the country, meeting with the information technology minister to discuss India's plans for low-cost AI development. This visit underscores India's importance as OpenAI's second-largest market by users 3

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