Anthropic Faces Copyright Infringement Lawsuit from Music Publishers

Anthropic PBC, a prominent artificial intelligence company known for its AI model Claude, is facing significant legal challenges from major music publishers who have accused the company of copyright infringement. A recent ruling by US District Judge Eumi K. Lee in the Northern District of California has allowed the music publishers' lawsuit to proceed, rejecting Anthropic's motion to dismiss key claims.

Background of the Case

The music publishers, including Concord Music Group Inc. and Universal Music Corp., filed their lawsuit against Anthropic in October 2023. They alleged that Anthropic knowingly allowed its AI model Claude to be used for infringing copyright-protected song lyrics, extracted by users from the AI’s outputs. The case specifically involves more than 500 songs by renowned artists such as Beyoncé and the Rolling Stones.

Guardrails as Evidence of Knowledge

Judge Lee's ruling highlighted that Anthropic's own implementation of guardrails designed to prevent generation of copyrighted lyrics ironically demonstrated the company's awareness of infringement risks. The judge stated it was "plausible" that Anthropic knew users were exploiting Claude to access copyrighted lyrics and that this activity benefited the company financially by contributing to Claude's popularity and value—an argument supporting claims of vicarious infringement.

Lee reinstated claims for contributory infringement, vicarious infringement, and violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), while Anthropic’s factual denials remain open to dispute in later proceedings.

Allegations of Piracy and Use of BitTorrent

The legal battle intensified with allegations revealed from a separate lawsuit against Anthropic for similarly alleged copyright breaches related to books. The music publishers argue that Anthropic also engaged in piracy by using BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, to illegally download millions of copyrighted works including song lyrics from pirate sites such as Library Genesis. This conduct extends to allegations that Anthropic contributed to unauthorized distribution by uploading pirated files to other users, violating exclusive distribution rights.

These piracy claims are under consideration for inclusion in amended complaints, further complicating the lawsuit.

Anthropic’s Legal Position and Settlements

Anthropic, supported by technology giants Amazon and Google, maintains that its use of copyrighted materials falls under the bounds of "fair use" as defined by current copyright law, particularly emphasizing transformative usage for AI training purposes. The company settled a related lawsuit with book authors in August 2025 with a $1.5 billion agreement, the largest copyright settlement in U.S. history for an AI training-related case.

However, the piracy allegations remain unresolved, with courts recognizing that acquiring copyrighted works through illicit means is not protected fair use and could have severe legal consequences.

Broader Implications for AI and Copyright Law

This case is among several high-profile legal confrontations involving AI companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms, as copyright holders increasingly challenge unauthorized use of protected content in AI training datasets. The outcomes will influence the legal framework defining allowable AI training practices and the balance between fostering innovation and protecting intellectual property rights.