{"id":73638,"date":"2023-06-22T09:02:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T09:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=73638"},"modified":"2023-06-22T09:02:38","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T09:02:38","slug":"riaa-targets-ai-hub-discord-users-over-copyright-infringement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=73638","title":{"rendered":"RIAA Targets \u2018AI Hub\u2019 Discord Users Over Copyright Infringement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"riaaWith over 142k members, the \u2018AI Hub\u2019 Discord server<\/a> is a thriving community that opens the door to lots of AI-related content. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s a wide variety of information available, including voice models of major musicians such as Bruno Mars, Frank Sinatra, Rihanna, and Stevie Wonder.<\/p>\n

All of this information can be used to make homebrew AI tracks that mimic the sound of one\u2019s favorite artists. This is a highly controversial topic in the music industry, with many insiders suggesting that commercial use of these models could breach copyright law. <\/p>\n

Exactly what is allowed and what isn\u2019t is a topic of legislative debate. In the United States, for example, Congress is actively looking into the matter<\/a> through a series of hearings.<\/p>\n

RIAA Targets \u2018AI Hub\u2019 Discord Server<\/h2>\n

The RIAA<\/a>, which represents the rights of American music companies, is keeping a very close eye on the AI landscape. In a letter sent earlier this month, the anti-piracy group effectively asked Discord to shut down the AI Hub server. <\/p>\n

Whether the voice models are the main issue here is unclear. It\u2019s certainly possible that the music group views the complete datasets of music posted by some users as more problematic.<\/p>\n

The letter to Discord simply states that AI Hub is dedicated to copyright infringement of its members\u2019 works. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have learned that Discord is operating and\/or hosting the below-referenced Discord server(s) on its network. This server(s) is\/are dedicated to infringing our members\u2019 copyrighted sound recordings by offering, selling, linking to, hosting, streaming, and\/or distributing files containing our members\u2019 sound recordings without authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"hello\"<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

Shut Down Server, Ban Repeat Infringers<\/h2>\n

The anti-piracy group wants the server taken offline and warnings issued to its operators. Specifically, the RIAA asks Discord to take the following steps: <\/p>\n

(i) remove and\/or disable access to this Discord server
\n(ii) remove the files or links from your system, including any mirrored or duplicate copies of those files or links, and\/or that you disable all access to the infringing files and associated links
\n(iii) inform the server operator\/s and the uploader\/ to that server(s), as applicable, of the illegality of their conduct.<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition, repeat-infringers should be permanently booted from the platform, the group notes, which would be in line with Discord\u2019s copyright policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This strongly worded letter is a follow-up to a similar request sent in late May. At the time, the AI Hub server had 82k users but in the space of just a few weeks, that number has grown to a massive 143k and counting. <\/p>\n

Infringing Voice models?<\/h2>\n

Discord hasn\u2019t taken the complete server offline, as the RIAA requested, but several messages have since disappeared. The letter came with a list of URLs that are going nowhere now. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"links<\/center><\/p>\n

The reported links don\u2019t reveal the nature of the content. TorrentFreak asked the RIAA for more detail on their takedown notice and whether it sees voice models as copyright infringements, but the group couldn\u2019t go into detail citing \u201cpending litigation\u201d. More on that later.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t independently confirm that voice models were targeted but some suggest that this could be the case. A few hours ago, Discord user StakenS reuploaded a Frank Sinatra model, which was originally posted by another user. <\/p>\n

\u201cReupload because I am not scared to go to jail,\u201d they write, adding<\/a> that the takedown request likely came from a Frank Sinatra rightsholder that doesn\u2019t appreciate the AI model.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"jail?\"<\/center><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to jump to conclusions based on this post, but it\u2019s likely that this voice model, and others, were removed because they included links to full datasets. This is what AI Hub admin \u201c.tea\u201d believes is what happened.<\/p>\n

Speaking with TorrentFreak, .tea notes that despite RIAA\u2019s takedown letters, Discord didn\u2019t reach out to the server\u2019s operators directly. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe admins were informed about [RIAA\u2019s takedown letter], not through Discord though, we heard from the people who actually got the letter. Discord has not contacted us as of yet,\u201d .tea says.<\/p>\n

The admin hasn\u2019t seen voice models being targeted in isolation either and believes that datasets with infringing tracks from RIAA members are the real problem. This content isn\u2019t allowed on the AI Hub server, so the operators don\u2019t mind seeing that removed. <\/p>\n

As for the users who posted the content, there\u2019s nothing to suggest that prison sentences are on the horizon. That being said, the RIAA did go to court a few days ago hoping to learn more about the alleged infringers. <\/p>\n

DMCA Subpoena Targets AI Hub Users<\/h2>\n

At the federal court for the District of Columbia, the anti-piracy group obtained a DMCA subpoena that requires Discord to identify the alleged infringers. The subpoena was sent to Discord on June 14th with an accompanying letter.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Y]ou are required to disclose to the RIAA information sufficient to identify the infringers. This would include the individuals\u2019 names, physical addresses, IP addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, payment information, account updates and account history, as available,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n

Discord has until the end of the month to comply with the request, if it doesn\u2019t formally oppose it. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"subpoena\"<\/center><\/p>\n

In response to our questions, RIAA didn\u2019t go into detail on the potential repercussions of this action. However, it stresses that AI itself isn\u2019t the problem. Their enforcement efforts are focused on those who exploit the work of artists without consent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe creative community supports AI that is ethical, follows the law and respects creators\u2019 rights. But when those who seek to profit from AI train their systems on unauthorized content, it undermines the entire music ecosystem \u2013 harming creators, fans, and responsible developers alike.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThis action seeks to help ensure that lawless systems that exploit the life\u2019s work of artists without consent cannot and do not become the future of AI,\u201d the RIAA spokesperson added.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the AI Hub server remains online. In a public announcement, the admins reiterated that uploading entire datasets containing copyrighted content directly to Discord is not allowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease do not upload datasets to the server or any copyrighted material. We have 0 tolerance for this kind of stuff\u201d,\u201d the announcement reads.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"zero<\/center><\/p>\n

\u2014-<\/em><\/p>\n

A copy of all the documentation referenced in this post, which was obtained by TorrentFreak, is available here (pdf)<\/a><\/p>\n

From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\n

Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With over 142k members, the \u2018AI Hub\u2019 Discord server is a thriving community that opens the door to lots of AI-related content. There\u2019s a wide variety of information available, including voice models of major musicians such as Bruno Mars, Frank Sinatra, Rihanna, and Stevie Wonder. All of this information can be used to make homebrew […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[308],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-torrent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/73639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=73638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=73638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}