BMG Accuses AI Firm of Stealing Song Lyrics

Music company BMG Rights Management initiated a lawsuit against artificial intelligence firm Anthropic in a California federal court on March 18, 2026. BMG alleges that Anthropic illicitly utilized copyrighted song lyrics to train the large language models that power its Claude chatbot. The complaint details claims of copying and reproducing lyrics from prominent musicians, including the Rolling Stones and Bruno Mars, thereby infringing hundreds of copyrights.

This legal action represents the newest in a wave of significant cases filed by creators and copyright holders against technology companies over the use of their work for AI model training. Music publisher Universal Music Group, a competitor to BMG, also has an ongoing lawsuit against Anthropic. In a separate instance last year, Anthropic reached a $1.5 billion settlement with a group of authors concerning similar AI training data allegations.

BMG stated that Anthropic's method of sourcing training data, including from unauthorized torrent sites, contradicts responsible AI community standards. Conversely, AI companies often argue that their use of copyrighted material constitutes fair use, as it is transformed into something new. BMG identified 493 specific instances of alleged copyright infringement, with potential statutory damages under U.S. law reaching up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement.