The song “Heart on My Sleeve” is a track that has both gained popularity and become the subject of numerous discussions in a short period of time. The song was created by TikTok user @ghostwriter977, who used artificial intelligence to generate vocals similar to those of Canadian musicians Drake and The Weeknd. The song quickly went viral on TikTok and has since been streamed millions of times on Spotify and Apple Music.
However, Drake and The Weeknd have expressed their complaints about the song. The authors believe that the use of their voices without permission is a copyright infringement. Universal Music Group, which owns the rights to Drake and The Weeknd’s music, has also filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against @ghostwriter977.
There is a phrase in the song that belongs to the producer Metro Boomin, and he did not participate in the writing of the song. This can be considered copyright infringement, as it is the use of Metro Boomin’s intellectual property without his permission.
It is too early to say what the outcome of the trial will be. However, the Heart on My Sleeve case is likely to set a precedent for future cases involving music created by artificial intelligence. It will be interesting to see what kind of decision the court will make in this case and how it will affect the future of music created by artificial intelligence.
Amper Music v. RIAA
However, this is not new with regard to cases involving artificial intelligence and copyright infringement of other artists. An example is Amper Music v. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2023, Amper Music was sued by the RIAA. The RIAA claimed that Amper Music used artificial intelligence to create songs similar to those of popular artists without their permission. These cases are still pending, and it is unclear what the outcome will be.
Amper Music uses artificial intelligence to create music in various genres, but the RIAA claims that the company infringes on copyrights by creating songs that sound like the works of popular artists such as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Beyoncé. However, Amper Music denies these allegations, claiming that the songs are original works of authorship and do not infringe the copyrights of other artists. In addition, the company sees the RIAA’s lawsuit as an attempt to stifle innovation in the music industry. Amper Music creates songs with the help of a team of engineers and musicians who train an artificial intelligence system on a library of existing music, after which the system learns to create new songs that sound similar to the music in the library (possibly hinting at omnichannel, which we prepared a separate article on the site).
This case is still under consideration, so we are following the results.
Lawsuits of British singers against Lyrebird AI
In the UK, in 2023, a group of leading singers filed a lawsuit against Lyrebird AI, claiming that the company had violated intellectual property rights.
Lyrebird AI is a company that has developed a technology that can imitate the voices of the best singers with 
incredible accuracy. The company has used this technology to create personalized ringtones, dub movies, TV shows, and even create new music. The lawsuit states that Lyrebird AI used the voices of singers without permission and that the company profited from the use of such voices without paying compensation to the performers (we are talking about related rights to perform and use a phonogram).
The lawsuit was settled in 2023, when Lyrebird AI agreed to pay the singers an undisclosed amount of money. The settlement also included a number of provisions to protect the singers’ intellectual property rights in the future.
Artificial intelligence becomes a new author and performer
Given all these cases, ethical debates have arisen about the use of artificial intelligence in music, causing a wave of concern. Some people are outraged that music created by artificial intelligence could lead to the exploitation of musicians, as it uses other people’s works to write songs that sound like they were created by popular artists, even without their input. Another part of society is concerned that AI-generated music could lead to a decline in creativity in the music industry, as it could make it easier for people without any musical talent to create songs.
There are opinions that the use of AI to create music is a form of copyright and related rights infringement, while there are also supporters of AI who claim that it is a new innovative way of creating art.
The development of artificial intelligence poses a number of challenges for copyright. However, it is also an opportunity to develop new solutions that will protect the rights of authors. Artificial intelligence can be used to create realistic imitations of human voices.
This technology can be used for a variety of purposes, including creating personalized ringtones, dubbing movies, TV shows, and even creating new music. For example, in 2023, Deepfakes created an AI-generated video in which former President Donald Trump said he was a “very stable genius.” The video went viral and was widely shared on social media, although it was later found to be fake.
As technology continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see more cases of copyright and related rights infringement in the future. But as technology evolves, so do the approaches to dealing with such infringement cases.
If you have encountered an infringement of copyright or related rights, or want to reliably protect your rights from infringement, you can contact our law firm. We will be happy to help you!
