Voiceify (Jammable) sued for training AI with copyrighted material

UK-based voice cloning company Voiceify has been accused of infringing on the sound recording copyrights of musicians and other creators. What happened Voiceify (renamed Jammable)’s platform uses AI voice cloning to create vocal covers, generating new versions of songs with vocals mimicking different artists by extracting acapella tracks from YouTube videos, modifying them with AI vocal models, and providing users with unauthorised copies of altered elements and remixed recordings. Complaints about Voiceify prompted the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) to issue a formal legal letter outlining its concerns about copyright infringement. Critics and commentators also pointed out that misusing AI by stealing others’ creative outputs harms the livelihoods of creators and undermines trust between artists, fans and platforms. Why it happened The controversy stems from Jammable's service, which allows users to create songs using cloned voices of popular artists like Tupac Shakur and Adele. The BPI argues that this practice not only exploits artists' voices without consent but also undermines their ability to earn a living from their work. The organisation emphasises that AI companies must respect the creativity and rights of artists instead of profiting from their likenesses without proper authorisation. The broader context includes increasing scrutiny on AI technologies that use copyrighted material, leading to multiple lawsuits against various companies in the sector. What it means The legal action could set a precedent for how AI companies operate within the music industry and may lead to stricter regulations regarding copyright in AI-generated content. As the music industry becomes more vigilant in protecting its intellectual property, other AI firms may face similar challenges. The outcome of this case could influence future legislation and the development of ethical guidelines for AI technologies, particularly those that mimic human creativity and artistry. Copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to produce derivative works . Source: Wikipedia 🔗 System 🤖 Jammable 🔗 Operator: Developer: Voiceify AI Country: UK; USA Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Create music Technology: Generative AI ; Text-to-speech; Machine learning Issue: C opyright; Employment; Transparency Legal, regulatory 👩🏼‍⚖️ British Phonographic Industry legal complaint

Date it happened

2024-01-01

Organisation involved

Jammable

Product, system or model

Jammable

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.