Skip to content

Tate McRae: How a ‘Very Sensitive, Very Introverted’ Singer Became a Pop Superstar

Search

BMG Sues Anthropic for Alleged Training of Chatbot With Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Rolling Stones Lyrics

“Anthropic’s rapid development of its new technology is no excuse for its egregious law-breaking,” the new complaint says

BMG Sues Anthropic for Alleged Training of Chatbot With Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Rolling Stones Lyrics

Justin Bieber in Los Angeles on Feb. 1

Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Nancy Dillon
By Nancy DillonMar 19, 2026
Nancy Dillon
See Full Bio

Music rights management company BMG has sued Anthropic, accusing the artificial intelligence firm of running “roughshod over the rights” of songwriters, from Grammy-winning stars to emerging artists.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in California, BMG claims Anthropic used lyrics from artists including Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, and the Rolling Stones to train its Claude chatbot without authorization. The company claims the infringement dates to Anthropic’s founding, when it allegedly used automated scraping tools to copy text from public websites and illegal online pirate libraries.

“Anthropic’s illegal conduct does not stop with these multiple direct infringements,” the complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, claims. “Anthropic also facilitates, encourages, and profits from copyright infringement by its licensees and users of its Claude models.” The suit alleges Anthropic is secondarily liable for contributory and vicarious infringement tied to those uses.

Anthropic did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment. The company was founded in 2021 by former staffers of OpenAI, the research lab behind ChatGPT. The new lawsuit is the latest in a wave of claims against artificial intelligence companies.

In the 47-page complaint, BMG argues that Anthropic clearly trained its models on BMG-managed music because Claude has readily supplied users with all or significant portions of the chart-topping songs “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones,” and Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.”“BMG has never authorized Anthropic to use its copyrighted compositions in connection with Claude,” the lawsuit states. It adds that Anthropic did not respond to a cease-and-desist letter sent in December 2025 or engage in licensing discussions.

BMG contends Anthropic’s rapid growth does not excuse the alleged violations. “Generations of inventors have brought revolutionary new products to market while complying with copyright law,” the complaint states. “Anthropic’s rapid development of its new technology is no excuse for its egregious law-breaking.”

BMG is seeking damages of up to $150,000 per allegedly infringed work, along with a court order requiring Anthropic to disclose details about its training data, methods, and model capabilities, including identifying any BMG-controlled material used. The lawsuit also accuses Anthropic of continuing the alleged infringement despite mounting legal challenges.

“Anthropic could cease its infringing conduct at any time,” the complaint states. “Yet, despite repeated lawsuits from creators and owners of a variety of copyrighted works and a specific written request from BMG to stop the wrongdoing at issue in this lawsuit, Anthropic has refused to do so, making a mockery of its stated founding principles of building a better and ‘broadly ethical’ AI model.”

Most Popular

Jimmy Kimmel Forms Cover Band With Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart at Netflix Is a Joke Fest
Music

Jimmy Kimmel Forms Cover Band With Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart at Netflix Is a Joke Fest

How Worried Should We Be About the Hantavirus Outbreak?
(Sub)Culture Features

How Worried Should We Be About the Hantavirus Outbreak?

The Rolling Stones Go ‘Back to Black’ With an Amy Winehouse Cover on ‘Foreign Tongues’
Music

The Rolling Stones Go ‘Back to Black’ With an Amy Winehouse Cover on ‘Foreign Tongues’

Taylor Swift’s Attorneys Call ‘Showgirl’ Trademark Lawsuit ‘Absurd’: Performer Trying to ‘Prop Up Her Brand’
Music News

Taylor Swift’s Attorneys Call ‘Showgirl’ Trademark Lawsuit ‘Absurd’: Performer Trying to ‘Prop Up Her Brand’

Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre Return to Alma Mater for Their High School’s Groundbreaking Ceremony
Music News

Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre Return to Alma Mater for Their High School’s Groundbreaking Ceremony

More Stories

Harry Styles Discos All the Time, School Assemblies Occasionally in ‘Dance No More’ Video

Harry Styles.

YouTube

Harry Styles Discos All the Time, School Assemblies Occasionally in ‘Dance No More’ Video

In his new video, Harry Styles leads the greatest pep rally ever. The “Dance No More” clip begins with Styles walking into a circle of musicians, dancing and singing, and eventually when (college-aged) students show up to watch him, the gym transforms into a a dance floor with everyone doing coordinated moves. By the end of it, people are of course kissing, because that’s what should be happening all the time. Colin Solal Cardo, who has made clips for Roby, Wolf Alice, and Charli XCX, directed the video.

“Dance No More” appears on Styles’ latest album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. Earlier this year, the musician performed the song during his double-duty stint on Saturday Night Live. It was an unexpected choice given the previous release of singles “Aperture” and “American Girls.” But “Dance No More” perhaps best captures the beating heart of the album.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kodak Black Turns Himself in to Police on 2025 MDMA Drug Trafficking Charges in Florida

Kodak Black.

Joy Malone/Getty Images

Kodak Black Turns Himself in to Police on 2025 MDMA Drug Trafficking Charges in Florida

Kodak Black was arrested in Orange County, Florida, earlier this week, on suspicion of drug trafficking, according to a search of Orange County Inmate Records. The records show that authorities have accused the rapper, real name Bill Kahan Kapri, of trafficking an amount of MDMA greater than 10 grams in mass but less than 200 grams. The rapper, whose last known location was Fort Lauderdale, was booked on Wednesday and “presentenced.” His case will be considered in a circuit court.

The Orlando Police Department did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Radical Life and Surprising Reinvention of Steve Albini

The Radical Life and Surprising Reinvention of Steve Albini

On a brisk November day in 2024, a crowd gathers on Belmont Ave. in Chicago outside a two-story brick building, the only hint of its storied significance a red door bearing a lower-case “e” placard. Family, friends, and fans are here to pay tribute to Steve Albini, the venerated recording engineer, who died of a heart attack six months prior at age 61. The City of Chicago is honoring him, giving the street flanking his long-running Electrical Audio studio the designation of Steve Albini Way.

It’s an apt distinction: Albini’s way — from his unusual approach to recording, which emphasized the live sound of a band and influenced decades of rock music, to his cantankerous screeds, which often warranted accusations of misogyny and racism in his earlier years — was one of a kind. Albini was also a loyal friend whose personal sense of fairness, often delivered with scathing humor, served as his compass. And he had a redemptive sea change in the last decades of his life, one that many close to him attribute to Heather Whinna, who married Albini in 2009.

Keep ReadingShow less
KJ Apa Chides ‘F-cking Liar’ Mr. Fantasy After His Friends Show Up on His Video

KJ Apa posted a video on social media alluding to Mr. Fantasy after all his friends goofed off on a recent music video with the dreamaker.

Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

KJ Apa Chides ‘F-cking Liar’ Mr. Fantasy After His Friends Show Up on His Video

After all of his friends partied on Mr. Fantasy’s “Do Me Right” video without him, KJ Apa is saying “enough is enough.”

Apa, who is believed by many fans online to be the man behind the shoddy wig, plastic sunnies, and fake teeth, set the record straight on Monday. Although he insisted he usually doesn’t do this, Apa took to social media and alluded to the celebrity-stuffed video — which features cameos from his former Riverdale co-stars, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, and Madelaine Petsch — and claimed the whole charade has been “hurting me and my career.” He continued, “There was recently a music video that was released that included a bunch of people who are really close to me by a guy who’s completely and utterly stolen my image and misappropriated my image and my likeness, and I think we all know who we’re talking about, and it’s fucked up.” Apa, who never named Mr. Fantasy in the clip, also lamented that he “lost on a huge job and can no longer go in for serious work because people think that I’m a joke because of this guy.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Kanye Denies Stonewalling Musicians at ‘Hurricane’ Copyright Trial

Kanye West took the witness stand on Wednesday at a copyright trial over his an early version of his hit song "Hurricane."

Getty Images

Kanye Denies Stonewalling Musicians at ‘Hurricane’ Copyright Trial

Kanye West took the witness stand at a copyright trial in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, and the artist now known as Ye showed visible signs of irritation.

When the plaintiffs’ lawyer, who claims Ye owes more than half a million dollars for alleged infringement tied to his Grammy-winning track “Hurricane,” greeted him after the lunch break with, “Good afternoon, Ye,” the artist stared back silently without responding. Asked whether he repeatedly changed lawyers and licensing representatives in 2022 and 2023, making him difficult to reach, Ye answered in a flat monotone, repeatedly saying, “I don’t recall” and “I don’t remember.”

Keep ReadingShow less