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European Union

Munich Regional Court: OpenAI liable for memorised lyrics; outputs infringe copyright; German TDM exemptions inapplicable; contrasts with UK Getty v Stability AI ruling

Published on: 17 November 2025

Published by an LexisNexis EU Law expert
Legal News
Article summary

OpenAI said it is weighing its options after a German court held its models infringed copyright by retaining, memorising and reproducing song lyrics, a move that could potentially become a landmark for European creators challenging generative AI systems. The Munich Regional Court found the US company's AI had stored and echoed nine sets of lyrics by German artists contained within the repertoire of GEMA, the German music rights organisation that filed the claim in court (see here). An OpenAI spokesperson said the company disagreed with the judgment and was reviewing its next steps and options, adding that it concerned only a narrow tranche of lyrics and would not affect the millions of people, businesses and developers in Germany who use its technology every day. GEMA said this marked the first instance in Europe where the use of copyrighted works by generative AI had been examined in law and resolved in favour of creators...

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