TLDR: The Indian music industry, led by the Indian Music Industry (IMI) and major labels, is actively advocating for greater transparency in AI usage and stronger copyright protections. They have taken legal action, challenging AI companies like OpenAI over the unauthorized use of copyrighted musical works for training generative AI models, arguing that such practices undermine the economic foundation of the industry.
The Indian music industry is at the forefront of a global movement demanding accountability and transparency from artificial intelligence developers regarding the use of copyrighted material. The Indian Music Industry (IMI), the apex body representing the recorded music sector in India, along with prominent labels such as Super Cassettes Industries Pvt Ltd (T-Series) and Saregama India, has taken decisive legal action to safeguard the rights of copyright owners.
On February 13, 2025, the IMI and its members filed an intervention application in the Delhi High Court, seeking to join an ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit initially brought by Asian News International (ANI) against OpenAI. The core of their argument is that OpenAI’s methods for training its generative AI models involve the unauthorized extraction and use of copyrighted song lyrics, musical compositions, and recordings without proper licensing or compensation. IMI contends that this practice jeopardizes the music industry’s business model, which heavily relies on licensing agreements to ensure fair compensation for creators and rights holders.
IMI Chairman Vikram Mehra, speaking at the All About Music conference, urged the government to mandate disclosures whenever generative AI models ingest copyrighted materials during their machine learning processes. The industry’s stance is clear: there should be no weakening of existing copyright protections, and copyright must continue to protect only works created by humans. They advocate for AI developers to be transparent about the works ingested during the training process.
OpenAI, in its defense, has asserted that its use of publicly available data falls under the ‘fair use’ doctrine. However, the Indian music industry vehemently challenges this, arguing that the use of copyrighted music content by AI models does not qualify as fair use, as it directly impacts the economic interests of copyright holders and disrupts the balance intended by copyright law. They emphasize that AI-generated content derived from copyrighted works can potentially replace original music, leading to significant financial losses for artists, composers, and music labels.
This legal battle in India mirrors a broader international trend, with copyright holders globally challenging generative AI companies. Similar lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. by authors and publishers, and Germany’s music licensing body, GEMA, also sued OpenAI in November 2024 over unauthorized reproduction of lyrics. The Indian music industry’s position aligns with the global call for ‘consent, credit, and compensation’ – the ‘three Cs’ – as essential for ethical AI development.
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The outcome of this case in the Delhi High Court is highly anticipated, as it could set a crucial precedent for how generative AI interacts with copyright protections not only in India but potentially influence similar cases and legal frameworks worldwide, shaping the future of both the technology and creative industries.
