Munich Court Finds ChatGPT Violated Music Copyright on German Lyrics
The ruling validates GEMA’s claim that an AI reproduced nine well-known songs.
Overview
- The Munich local court ruled on Nov. 11 that OpenAI’s service unlawfully used protected song lyrics.
- GEMA alleged that chat responses returned near-exact wording from nine popular German tracks without authorization.
- The court accepted the rights group’s claim and found an infringement under German copyright law.
- OpenAI argued it does not store or copy specific datasets and said responsibility for outputs rests with the user’s query.
- German media report that OpenAI plans to appeal the decision, and GEMA is pressing for revenue to be returned to artists.