IP Law Daily, COPYRIGHT NEWS: BMG sues Anthropic for using its copyrighted lyrics to train AI models, (Mar 19, 2026)

By Carolin Dennis, B.Sc., LL.B., LL.M.

The complaint alleges Anthropic of copying and distributing BMG’s copyrighted songs through its Claude AI models while removing copyright management information during data processing.

BMG Rights Management (US) LLC, doing business under a number of names, (individually and collectively, BMG) filed a complaint against Anthropic PBC over the alleged unauthorized use of musical compositions in its AI model training. BMG seeks to prevent or restrain infringement of BMG’s copyrights and removal or alteration of BMG’s copyright management information (CMI) and remedy the significant harm Anthropic has caused BMG and the songwriters it represents (BMG Rights Management (US) LLC v. Anthropic PBC, No. 5:26-cv-02334 (N.D. Cal. filed on Mar. 17, 2026)).

BMG is a global music publishing and record company. BMG has partnered with some of the most notable songwriters today to those just beginning their career in music. BMG owns or controls, in whole or in part, exclusive rights to nearly four million musical compositions, from the most well-known, chart-topping hits to the imaginative works of up-and-coming composers and lyricists. BMG represents and advocates for thousands of songwriters who have helped create those works. As a publisher, BMG regularly enters into licenses and other agreements for the works it owns, through which BMG compensates its songwriters for their share of earnings. BMG’s songwriters rely on the income received from these transactions to support their livelihood and art. This system of licensing, permissions, and authorized use is the backbone of the music publishing industry and ensures that the songwriters and publishers who have invested in developing creative works receive compensation for the use of these works.

Anthropic, a technology company known for developing a group of AI models known as Claude (Claude or Claude models), was founded in or around 2021, when a group of OpenAI employees left to start a competing AI company. Anthropic’s founders claimed to be starting a different kind of company, one with AI safety and research at the forefront that would mitigate AI’s risks. However, according to the complaint in its pursuit of those goals, Anthropic unlawfully copied, prepared derivative works based on, and distributed musical compositions owned or controlled by BMG—works created both by songwriters who are household names as well as those living check to check, all of whom BMG takes great pride in representing. Anthropic’s infringement of BMG’s lyrics causes significant and irreparable harm to BMG and the songwriters it represents. BMG also contended that, in addition to its unauthorized copying of BMG’s copyrighted musical compositions and improper use of these compositions as inputs in training Claude, Anthropic infringes the compositions through Claude’s outputs. Because Anthropic strips much of the CMI from the works when it processes the text corpus, it knows that Claude will not have that information memorized and will not generate the CMI as output.

Further, Anthropic’s direct infringement goes beyond using BMG’s copyrighted lyrics to train its Claude models and Claude’s outputs. Anthropic unlawfully copied, downloaded, and retained unauthorized copies of pirated texts, including BMG’s copyrighted musical compositions, in a general-purpose central library that Anthropic assembled and intended to maintain on an indefinite basis for its use. Anthropic’s mass reproduction of these works without permission and separate from Anthropic’s use of any particular work as input or output related to Claude constitutes a separate standalone act of infringement.

BMG argued that Anthropic’s illegal conduct does not stop with these multiple direct infringements. Anthropic also facilitates, encourages, and profits from copyright infringement by its licensees and users of its Claude models. Accordingly, Anthropic is secondarily liable for contributory infringement and vicarious infringement for the infringing acts of those licensees and users.

BMG asserted that it never authorized Anthropic to use its copyrighted compositions in connection with Claude. Nor has Anthropic ever attempted to license BMG’s copyrighted musical compositions or even engaged in a dialogue with BMG about such uses. Rather, when BMG sent Anthropic a cease and desist letter in December 2025, Anthropic never responded.

According to the complaint, Anthropic’s acts of infringement were, and continue to be, willful, intentional, and purposeful, in disregard of, and with indifference to, BMG’s rights. Additionally, Anthropic pays nothing to BMG, its songwriters, or the significant number of other copyright owners. Anthropic has profited and continues to profit from its unauthorized use of BMG’s copyrighted musical compositions while the authors of these works are left to watch their creative talents exploited without any compensation or acknowledgment.

Claims, remedies sought. BMG seeks a jury trial and asserts five causes of action: (1) copyright infringement in training and output; (2) direct copyright infringement by torrenting; (3) contributory infringement; (4) vicarious infringement; and (5) removal or alteration of copyright management information. BMG asks the court to permanently enjoin Anthropic and its officers, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, directors, successors, assigns, licensees, and all others in active concert or participation with any of them, from directly infringing, indirectly infringing, and/or removing or altering CMI, or causing, aiding, enabling, facilitating, encouraging, promoting, inducing, or materially contributing to or participating in the infringement of any of BMG’s exclusive rights under copyright. BMG also asks for an order requiring Anthropic to provide an accounting of the training data, training methods, and known capabilities of its Claude models; and that Anthropic destroy under the court’s supervision all infringing copies of BMG’s copyrighted works in Anthropic’s possession or control including without limitation copies maintained in any internal libraries, repositories, or storage systems regardless of whether Anthropic used or intended to use such copies to train its Claude models. BMG also seeks statutory damages, pre-judgment and post-judgment interests, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs as permitted by law, and such other or further relief as the court may deem just.

The Case is No. 5:26-cv-02334.

Attorneys: Robert A. Jacobs (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP) for BMG Rights Management (US) LLC.

Companies: BMG Rights Management (US) LLC; Anthropic PBC

News: Copyright CaliforniaNews