In a broader view of the charge, BMG accuses Anthropic of raiding licensed music libraries MusicMatch, LyricFind, and torrent sites which themselves might be illegal containers of music.
Artists mentioned in available coverage include Rolling Stones, Bruno Mars, and Ariana Grande. BMG is seeking damages up to $150,000 per work, if the infringement is deemed to be willful.
The concept of fair use is often brought into cases of infringement, and is part of Anthropic’s defense. The typical argument centers on the “fair use” doctrine. Anthropic does not seem to claim that the songs were not used, but that the data is transformed into new and original content.
BMG seems to be bringing a moral tone to the legal skirmish: “Anthropic’s practice of training AI models on copyrighted works sourced from unauthorized torrent sites, among other acts, stands in direct opposition to the standards required of any responsible participant in the AI community.”This collision is not the first such lawsuit against Anthropic. In September 2025 the company agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit brought by a group of authors.