# Who is winning the AI training copyright fight?

> Do AI developers need permission to train on copyrighted work, and how are courts, governments and rights holders answering that in 2025-26?

Courts have split on whether models contain copies, and the money is moving through settlements and licences rather than verdicts. Governments are diverging too: the UK has shelved a training exception while the US executive branch now argues training is fair use.

## Stops
1. **10 Jul 2025: GPAI Code of Practice** (Rule) The EU's GPAI code sets the baseline expectation that model providers respect opt-outs and limit infringing outputs. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/eu-gpai-code-of-practice-2025/) · [source](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/contents-code-gpai)
2. **4 Nov 2025: UK High Court rejects Getty's secondary copyright claim against Stability AI** (Development) London holds model weights store no copies, narrowing claims against models trained abroad. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/d/gb-getty-v-stability-ai-judgment-2025-11/) · [source](https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/getty-images-v-stability-ai/)
3. **11 Nov 2025: Munich court rules ChatGPT's memorised song lyrics infringe copyright (GEMA v OpenAI)** (Development) Munich reaches the opposite view on memorised lyrics, treating weights as reproductions. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/d/de-gema-v-openai-munich-judgment-2025-11/) · [source](https://www.taylorwessing.com/de/insights-and-events/insights/2025/11/gema-v-openai)
4. **25 Nov 2025: Warner Music settles with Suno and agrees licensed AI music models for 2026** (Development) The music majors trade lawsuits for licensed models and output controls. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/d/us-wmg-suno-settlement-licensing-2025-11/) · [source](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/warner-music-group-settles-with-suno/)
5. **18 Mar 2026: UK Copyright and AI report** (Rule) The UK abandons its preferred opt-out training exception and waits for more evidence. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/rule/gb-copyright-ai-report-2026/) · [source](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-and-impact-assessment-on-copyright-and-artificial-intelligence)
6. **20 Jul 2026: Court gives final approval to Anthropic's $1.5bn settlement with book authors** (Development) A $1.5bn settlement prices the use of pirated books for training. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/d/us-bartz-v-anthropic-settlement-final-approval-2026-07/) · [source](https://authorsguild.org/news/court-grants-final-approval-anthropic-copyright-settlement/)
7. **24 Jul 2026: Delhi High Court refuses ANI's bid to stop OpenAI training on its news** (Development) India's first ruling provisionally treats training on news as fair dealing. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/d/in-delhi-hc-ani-v-openai-interim-ruling-2026-07/) · [source](https://delhihighcourt.nic.in/app/showFileJudgment/ABL24072026SC10282024_171649.pdf)
8. **1 Sep 2026: US Justice Department backs OpenAI's fair-use defence in New York Times case** (Development) The US government sides with OpenAI as the Times case reaches summary judgment. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/d/us-doj-statement-of-interest-nyt-v-openai-2026-09/) · [source](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/trump-administration-backs-openai-in-ny-times-copyright-suit)
9. **29 Sep 2026: Third Circuit upholds ruling that ROSS's AI training on Westlaw was not fair use** (Development) The first appellate ruling rejects fair use where the AI product competes with the source. [page](https://wheresthe.ai/d/us-3rd-cir-thomson-reuters-v-ross-2026-09/) · [source](https://www.lawnext.com/2026/09/3rd-circuit-rules-for-thomson-reuters-in-its-copyright-fight-against-legal-research-startup-ross.html)

---
Canonical page: https://wheresthe.ai/line/who-wins-the-ai-training-copyright-fight/ · A Line of Thought from wheresthe.ai