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Music Copyright Cases: One Dismissed, One Reignited
Two major cases are testing the boundaries of copyright in music — one fading out, the other coming back stronger. A judge has dismissed the much-discussed lawsuit over Drake’s “Not Like Us” diss track, ruling that there was no valid claim for copyright infringement. Meanwhile, the music publishing industry is gaining ground in a separate fight: a federal judge has reinstated a lawsuit against AI company Anthropic, allowing copyright claims to proceed after the court found the tech firm’s own disclosures undercut its defense. Together, these cases highlight the evolving legal landscape where music, AI, and fair use collide.
ChaseLawyers Newsletter
October 07, 2025
Hi there,
This week’s newsletter looks at two important music copyright cases — one wrapped up quickly, the other heating up again thanks to new revelations.
First, the lawsuit over Drake’s Kendrick Lamar diss track “Not Like Us” has been tossed. The judge found that the underlying copyright claim had no real basis — reinforcing that not every high-profile release automatically invites liability.
But over in the AI world, things are playing out differently. The National Music Publishers’ Association just scored a win in court after a judge revived its lawsuit against AI startup Anthropic. The key twist? Anthropic’s own technical documents were used to argue that it trained its AI using copyrighted lyrics — breathing new life into a case the company hoped to shut down early.
Judge Dismisses Copyright Lawsuit Over Drake’s “Not Like Us”
The lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Drake over the Kendrick Lamar diss track “Not Like Us” has officially been dismissed. The plaintiff, who claimed his own song was illegally sampled, failed to register his work before filing — a procedural requirement under U.S. copyright law. The judge found no substantial similarities between the two songs, and reinforced that copyright law protects specific expressions, not general ideas or shared genre conventions. The decision ends one of the summer’s buzziest legal skirmishes in music — and shows the importance of clear ownership and registration when bringing claims.
Anthropic’s Own Guardrails Reignite AI Music Copyright Lawsuit
A federal judge has allowed music publishers to proceed with their copyright infringement case against Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude. The lawsuit alleges that Claude can reproduce full copyrighted lyrics when prompted — a claim Anthropic hoped to dismiss early. But a twist in the case came from Anthropic’s own “guardrails,” which it disclosed as part of its defense. The judge found that these internal safety tools, designed to block copyrighted responses, actually supported the publishers' claims that the system can generate protected material. With this decision, the case moves forward — and may set a major precedent for how AI interacts with copyrighted music.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
 Universal Music Group Beats Drake’s “Not Like Us” Defamation Suit |  Anthropic’s own guardrails revive full copyright lawsuit from litigious music publishers |
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