The Reading / Listening - Copyright Infringement - Level 2

Artificial Intelligence is changing many things. Not all of the things are good. Three of the world's biggest record labels are suing two AI start-up companies. The labels say the start-ups are infringing their copyrighted music on "an almost unimaginable scale". The labels say the AI start-ups have created software to create music that could "saturate the market with machine-generated content". Record label lawyers say AI-made music, "will directly compete with, cheapen and ultimately drown out the genuine sound recordings". This could be a disaster for singers.

AI companies say their software creates music that is protected under copyright law. A special law called "fair use" lets people reuse copyrighted material legally. Fair use means people can use music for things like news reporting and comedy. A start-up company CEO defended his company. He said: "Our technology is…designed to generate completely new output, not to [repeat] pre-existing content." However, the record labels say the start-ups have created songs that sound exactly like "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. The labels want compensation of $150,000 per song.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Copyright Infringement - Level 0 Copyright Infringement - Level 1   or  Copyright Infringement - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckrrr8yelzvo
  • https://www.wired.com/story/ai-music-generators-suno-and-udio-sued-for-copyright-infringement/
  • https://www.billboard.com/pro/major-label-lawsuit-ai-firms-suno-udio-copyright-infringement/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Artificial Intelligence is
  2. Not all of the
  3. Three of the world's
  4. infringing their copyrighted
  5. on an almost unimaginable
  6. machine-generated
  7. drown out the genuine sound
  8. This could be a disaster
  1. music
  2. biggest
  3. for singers
  4. scale
  5. recordings
  6. changing many things
  7. content
  8. things are good

Paragraph 2

  1. their software creates music
  2. reuse copyrighted material
  3. use music for things
  4. A start-up company
  5. generate completely new
  6. repeat pre-
  7. the start-ups have
  8. compensation
  1. like news
  2. created songs
  3. output
  4. of $150,000 per song
  5. CEO
  6. legally
  7. existing content
  8. that is protected

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Artificial Intelligence is (1) ___________________. Not all of the things are good. Three of the world's biggest record (2) ___________________ two AI start-up companies. The labels say the start-ups are infringing their copyrighted music (3) ___________________ unimaginable scale". The labels say the AI start-ups have created (4) ___________________ music that could "saturate the market with machine-generated content". Record label lawyers say AI-made music, "will (5) ___________________, cheapen and ultimately drown out the genuine sound recordings". This could be a (6) ___________________.

AI companies (7) ___________________ creates music that is protected under copyright law. A (8) ___________________ "fair use" lets people reuse copyrighted material legally. Fair use means people can use music for things like news (9) ___________________. A start-up company CEO defended his company. He said: "Our technology (10) ___________________ generate completely new output, not to [repeat] pre-existing content." However, the record labels say the start-ups have created songs that (11) ___________________ "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. The labels (12) ___________________ $150,000 per song.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ArtificialIntelligenceischangingmanythings.Notallofthethingsarego
od.Threeoftheworld'sbiggestrecordlabelsaresuingtwoAIstart-upco
mpanies.Thelabelssaythestart-upsareinfringingtheircopyrighted
musicon"analmostunimaginablescale".ThelabelssaytheAIstart-
upshavecreatedsoftwaretocreatemusicthatcould"saturatethemark
etwithmachine-generatedcontent".RecordlabellawyerssayAI-mad
emusic,"willdirectlycompetewith,cheapenandultimatelydrownoutth
egenuinesoundrecordings".Thiscouldbeadisasterforsingers.AIcomp
aniessaytheirsoftwarecreatesmusicthatisprotectedundercopyrightl
aw.Aspeciallawcalled"fairuse"letspeoplereusecopyrightedmateriall
egally.Fairusemeanspeoplecanusemusicforthingslikenewsreporting
andcomedy.AstartupcompanyCEOdefendedhiscompany.Hesaid:"O
urtechnologyis…designedtogeneratecompletelynewoutput,notto[re
peat]pre-existingcontent."However,therecordlabelssaythestart-
upshavecreatedsongsthatsoundexactlylike"DancingQueen"byABBA
.Thelabelswantcompensationof$150,000persong.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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