When Credits, Royalties, and AI Training Collide

This week’s stories show how easily creative contributions can be erased or exploited when contracts, credits, and licensing aren’t handled properly. From a chart‐topping movie soundtrack to AI training datasets worth billions, the legal stakes keep rising.

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ChaseLawyers Newsletter
February 03, 2026

Hi there,

This week’s update focuses on two disputes where creative work generated enormous value — but the people behind it say they were never properly credited or paid.

In one case, a musician who helped shape the emotional core of See You Again says he was sidelined once the song became a global hit. In the other, major publishers are escalating their fight with an AI company, arguing that piracy — not innovation — powered its training data.

Both cases highlight the same lesson: when rights aren’t clearly documented, the fallout can last for years.

Backing Vocalist Sues Over ‘See You Again’ Rights

Jake Broido, a former Warner Music executive, claims he contributed both vocals and creative input to See You Again but was never credited or paid. He alleges Warner falsely assured him his interests were protected while misclassifying his performance to avoid royalties.

The lawsuit argues Broido never signed a work‑for‑hire agreement and was not employed by Warner at the time, which could give him legitimate ownership claims. Universal is also accused of exploiting his performance in Furious 7 without credit.

Music Publishers Seek $3B in New Anthropic Lawsuit

Universal Music Publishing, Concord, and ABKCO have filed a new lawsuit accusing Anthropic of downloading more than 20,000 pirated songs to train its AI model. The piracy claims open the door to statutory damages of up to $150,000 per song.

Publishers say they only learned about the torrenting after similar facts emerged in a separate AI case involving book authors. With piracy now central to the claims, the lawsuit dramatically increases the pressure on Anthropic to settle.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Charlie Puth got musician to provide vocals for ‘Furious 7’ track, then Warner cheated him out rights and royalties, says lawsuit

A musician who contributed vocals to See You Again says Warner and Universal denied him credit and royalties. The case centers on whether his work was ever properly licensed or classified as work‑for‑hire.

Music publishers file new Anthropic lawsuit, adding in piracy claims and $3 billion mega-damages

Major publishers accuse Anthropic of training its AI on more than 20,000 pirated songs. The new lawsuit adds piracy claims that could push damages past $3 billion.

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Barry Chase, Esq. is an honors graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, and the founding partner of ChaseLawyers®. In addition to his entertainment attorney legal practice, Mr. Chase lectures regularly on the representation of media personalities, the legal “do’s and don’ts” of music, television, and film production, and the intricacies of film rights option agreements.

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Alexander Loveyko, Esq. is a New York-licensed attorney and Partner at ChaseLawyers, focusing on intellectual property, entertainment, and Internet law. Based in Miami, he represents creators, Web3 startups, and international talent, advising on IP, licensing, music catalog deals, and immigration matters.

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