This is The Legal Beat, a weekly music law newsletter from Billboard Pro, bringing you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, landmark decisions and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: Legal experts raise concerns about Tennessee's new ELVIS law and other laws aimed at artificial intelligence voice cloning. Jelly Roll is facing a trademark lawsuit from a Philadelphia wedding band of the same name. Taylor Swift and other artists are bringing their music back to TikTok. and many more.
THE BIG STORY: Are new AI voice laws going too far?
State and federal lawmakers across the country are trying to crack down on voice cloning — an effort that's being cheered by the music industry and artists. However, some legal experts worry that such laws may be an “overreaction” that could have unintended consequences.
With the passage of the ELVIS Act last month, Tennessee became the first state in the country to pass legislation aimed at protecting artists from situations like Drake's infamous fake song last year. At least five other states are considering similar bills, and a federal version is currently being debated on Capitol Hill.
These laws address a very real problem – namely that AI tools have made it much easier to convincingly imitate the voice of a real person, and existing laws seem to give them only limited options to stop it.
But while legislative efforts to fix them have been widely supported by the music industry, they have met with a more mixed reaction among some legal experts, who worry that the rush to pass new laws may lead to collateral damage for free speech and other “harmless” behavior – ranging from tribute bands to interference.
Other top stories this week…
COSTLY JELLY ROLL TRADEMARK – The rapper turned country star was hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit from a well-known Philadelphia wedding band that has been using the name Jellyroll for decades. The suit alleges that Jelly Roll's growing popularity over the past two years has flooded the market with the name, making it difficult for prospective customers to find “Philly's favorite wedding band.”
TIKTOK & TAYLOR – Why is music from Taylor Swift and some other Universal Music Group artists returning to TikTok, despite an ongoing licensing battle that has seen the music giant pull its catalog from the social media platform for months? As explained by Advertising signElias Leight and Kristin Robinson, the answer it mostly boils down to leverage and good lawyering.
LIVE NATION TO FACE SUIT – The US Department of Justice reports plans to sue Live Nation within weeks over alleged violations of federal antitrust laws, including that the company used its dominant position in the live music industry to undermine competition for ticketing. The case follows years of antitrust criticism of Live Nation, which escalated after the company mishandled ticket sales for Taylor Swift's November 2022 “Eras” tour.
NewJeans in LA on March 6, 2024.
Sami Drasin
K-POP DOUBLE BATTLE – K-pop group NewJeans has asked a US federal court to force Google to reveal an anonymous YouTuber so that the person can be prosecuted in South Korea for posting “false and defamatory videos”. The case that highlighted the sharp differences between defamation laws in America and Korea – where even telling the truth can land you in court and criminal convictions can lead to “imprisonment with hard labor for up to seven years”.
PANDORA RETURNS TO MLC – The streaming service responded to a lawsuit filed by the Mechanical Licensing Collective that claims the company failed to properly pay streaming royalties; calling the case “gross overreach” based on a “legally incoherent position”. The case centers on whether Pandora's free, ad-supported service is an “interactive” platform like Spotify or more akin to a “non-interactive” radio show — a key distinction under federal copyright laws governing payments intellectual property rights.
FAKE GOODS, REAL PROBLEMS – Bootleg artist merchandise is a big problem, as lawyers for the world's biggest stars say they send countless takedown notices a year, but face “a game of Whack-a-Mole” with few easy answers. Go read The Billboard Story by Steve Knopperwho spoke with many lawyers on the front lines of the war on counterfeit goods.
STARTING RADIO RIGHTS – World Music Rights, Irving Azoff's performance rights organization representing Bruce Springsteen, Bruno Mars, Prince, Drake and others, settled a copyright infringement lawsuit in which he had accused seven Vermont radio stations of refusing to license the band's music.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/ai-voice-laws-jelly-roll-lawsuit-taylor-swift-tiktok-legal-news/
