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German collecting society GEMA sues OpenAI in Munich over ChatGPT’s unlicensed reproduction of song lyrics; model action to clarify AI training remuneration and licensing obligations across Europe

Published on: 14 August 2025

Published by an LexisNexis IP expert
Legal News
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GEMA files model action to clarify AI providers' remuneration obligations in Europe.

GEMA is the first collecting society worldwide to lodge a claim against a provider of generative AI systems for the unauthorised use of protected musical works. The case centres on the US company OpenAI, operator of generative chatbot systems. GEMA alleges that OpenAI reproduces protected song lyrics by German authors without having secured licences or paid those writers. The objective is to establish that OpenAI systematically uses GEMA’s repertoire to train its systems. OpenAI has emerged as the world’s leading provider in generative AI and now reports annual sales above U$2bn. In 2024, the company is targeting revenues of up to U$5bn. Its AI-assisted language system, the chatbot ChatGPT, was trained on copyright-protected texts, including lyrics from the repertoire of around 95,000 GEMA members. These authors have yet to receive payment for the use of their works. GEMA has therefore brought a claim before the Munich Regional Court to enforce its members’ claims against the American parent company, OpenAI...

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