German court rules against OpenAI in copyright case
A German court has ruled that OpenAI violated copyright laws by using song lyrics without authorization to train and operate ChatGPT, marking the first time a European court has sided with creators whose work was exploited by generative AI systems. The court determined that ChatGPT stores copies of original works and reproduces them when users submit prompts, which constitutes copyright infringement requiring proper licensing and compensation to rights holders. The ruling rejected OpenAI’s claim that it operates as a privileged research organization and found that text and data mining laws do not permit the storage and output of protected lyrics.
GEMA, which represents more than 100,000 members in Germany and over two million rights holders worldwide, had offered OpenAI a specialized licensing model for AI providers but reported the company showed no willingness to comply. The collecting society has another pending lawsuit against AI music generator Suno, with a hearing scheduled for January 2026, alleging similar copyright violations.
