A group of leading Bollywood music labels in India such as T-Series, Saregama, and Sony are aiming to join a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI in New Delhi. The legal documents underscore concerns regarding the unauthorized utilization of recordings for training AI models.
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, faces mounting legal hurdles worldwide, including in India, its second-largest user market. The company maintains that it adheres to fair-use principles in using publicly available data for AI model development.
In a plea submitted on Thursday, the Indian Music Industry (IMI) group, T-Series, and Saregama India expressed worries about the "unauthorized use of sound recordings" infringing their copyrights in AI model training.
The companies stated that their arguments in the lawsuit are pivotal for the music industry in India and globally. OpenAI and the music labels declined to comment when requested on Friday.
The music labels aim to be part of an existing lawsuit filed by Indian news agency ANI last year, which accused OpenAI's ChatGPT of utilizing its content without authorization for training AI models.
In India, the music labels are apprehensive about AI systems extracting lyrics, music compositions, and sound recordings from the internet. T-Series and Saregama are prominent labels in India, with T-Series releasing around 2,000 songs annually and Saregama, a century-old label, owning a collection of renowned Indian singers like Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.
The Indian industry source, speaking anonymously due to the ongoing legal proceedings, emphasized the concerns of Indian music companies. The development follows a similar lawsuit by Germany's GEMA in November, which alleged OpenAI's ChatGPT reproduced song lyrics without proper authorization.
OpenAI contested the ANI lawsuit citing U.S.-based jurisdiction, despite India's legal ramifications. The upcoming hearing on Feb. 21 is expected to shape the future paradigm of how AI models leverage copyrighted content in India. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, recently met with India's Information Technology Minister to discuss the country's pursuit of affordable AI solutions.