A record number of authors and other copyright holders have filed claims for compensation for the use of works covered by the $1.5 billion settlement between AI firm Anthropic and a class of authors, alongside their publishers, in the Bartz v. Anthropic lawsuit, according to a ​filing with the US District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. The April 16 filing reads: "In accordance with the Joint Case Management Statement filed on January 15, 2026, Plaintiffs respectf...

Universal Music Group (UMG) has settled its copyright infringement case against independent music company Believe and its affiliate TuneCore, a services and distrbution company for self-released artists. The two parties filed on April 3 a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, calling on the court for the dismissal "of all claims," and informing the judge that each party "will bear their own costs and fees." No other detail...

Michael Smith, a US individual who was accused of defrauding music streaming platforms and rights holders of royalty payments, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before US District Judge John G. Koeltl, from the District Court for Southern District of New York. Smith also agreed to pay $8,091,843.64 in forfeiture. The offence carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Koeltl on July 29, 2026. This is one of the most pr...