Overview
- The Munich regional court found that both memorization within ChatGPT’s models and reproduction of lyrics in outputs infringe authors’ exploitation rights.
- Presiding judge Elke Schwager ordered OpenAI to pay damages for unauthorized use of nine songs, with the amount not disclosed.
- The lawsuit was brought by music rights society GEMA on behalf of artists, citing works by Herbert Grönemeyer, Helene Fischer, and Reinhard Mey.
- OpenAI said it disagrees with the ruling and is considering next steps, after arguing its models do not store specific texts and that users generate the outputs.
- The court said coincidence could not explain the reproductions, and groups including the German Journalists’ Association hailed the verdict as a significant win for creators; the decision can be appealed.