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German Court Orders OpenAI to Pay Damages for Copyright Violations
11 Nov
Summary
- German court sides with music rights society GEMA against OpenAI
- ChatGPT found to reproduce copyrighted German song lyrics without permission
- Ruling could set precedent for regulating generative AI in Europe
On November 11, 2025, a German court in Munich sided with the country's music rights society GEMA in a copyright case against the U.S.-based artificial intelligence firm OpenAI. The court ruled that OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT had reproduced lyrics from copyrighted German songs without authorization, and ordered the company to pay damages for the use of this protected content.
GEMA had argued that ChatGPT was trained on material from the repertoire of its roughly 100,000 members, which include popular musician Herbert Groenemeyer. The presiding judge, Elke Schwager, agreed with GEMA's position and instructed OpenAI to compensate the rights holders.
In response, OpenAI stated that GEMA's arguments reflected a misunderstanding of how ChatGPT operates. However, the court's decision could set a significant precedent for the regulation of generative AI systems in Europe. GEMA is now seeking the establishment of a licensing framework that would require AI developers to pay for the use of musical works in both the training and output of their models.
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Both OpenAI and GEMA have indicated that they will issue further statements on the verdict later on November 11, 2025. The case can still be appealed, and the outcome will be closely watched by the tech and music industries as they navigate the evolving landscape of AI and copyright law.
