TLDR: The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) has accused leading AI firms, including OpenAI, Suno, Udio, and Mistral, of widespread and ‘wilful’ copyright infringement. The Brussels-based body claims these companies have illegally ‘scraped’ vast music catalogues to train their generative AI models without proper licensing, leading to significant financial and creative threats to the music industry.
Brussels, September 18, 2025 – A major global music industry organization has leveled serious accusations against prominent artificial intelligence (AI) companies, alleging ‘wilful, commercial-scale copyright infringement’ of the world’s music catalogue. The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP), a Brussels-based body representing major record labels and music professionals, stated that AI firms such as OpenAI, Suno, Udio, and Mistral are engaged in ‘the largest copyright infringement exercise that has been seen.’
John Phelan, director general of the ICMP, told AFP that a nearly two-year investigation by the confederation revealed how generative AI companies have been exploiting copyrighted musical material to enrich their services. The core of the accusation centers on the practice of ‘scraping,’ where AI programs known as ‘crawlers’ explore the internet to gather content. The ICMP’s research, initially published in Billboard on September 9, indicated that this scraping is occurring from licensed services like YouTube (owned by Google) and other digital music platforms.
Phelan emphasized the industry’s firm stance: ‘There can be no use of copyright-protected music without a licence.’ This statement directly challenges the ‘fair use’ defense often invoked by tech giants, a copyright exception that permits the use of a work without permission under specific circumstances.
The music industry’s concerns are not isolated. The rise of AI-generated music, which can mimic the voices, melodies, and styles of original artists like The Beatles or Mariah Carey, is already evident on streaming platforms. This development poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of authors, composers, and publishers.
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Recent developments highlight the escalating legal battles and negotiations in this space. In the United States, AI start-up Anthropic, creator of the Claude AI, announced on September 6 that it had agreed to contribute at least $1.5 billion to a compensation fund for authors, rights holders, and publishers who had sued the firm for illegally downloading millions of books. Furthermore, the three major US-based music labels – Universal, Warner, and Sony – are reportedly in negotiations with AI music generators Suno and Udio to secure licensing deals. Last June, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also filed a lawsuit against Suno and Udio. However, there are instances of collaboration; Eleven Music, another AI-generated music service provider, reportedly signed a deal with the Kobalt record label in August, as noted by Phelan. These instances underscore the complex and evolving landscape of copyright in the age of generative AI.
