backThe court in Santa Catarina has upheld, on an interim basis, the Ecad’s authority to charge for the public performance of music created with artificial intelligence. The dispute centers on the Spitz Park Aventuras theme park, which says it plays only tracks generated by the Suno platform. Judges concluded Ecad does not need to identify each work or its author before collecting fees, and that the absence of a human author does not, by itself, eliminate copyright. A technical report found a meaningful similarity between a Suno track and a protected work, signaling that deeper expert analysis is needed. The ruling is provisional, does not set nationwide precedent, and similar cases may reach different outcomes.
The case brings fresh urgency to questions about authorship, distribution of royalties, and the use of protected catalogs to train AI systems. Scholars such as Filipe Medon call for legal updates and note that current theories lack clear backing in Brazilian law, while Ecad says public performance remains subject to licensing and has updated its registration forms to flag AI involvement. For songwriters, the message is one of safeguarding collective rights management, even as key gaps remain over who holds title and how to allocate royalties for AI music. Bill 2338 may improve transparency and compensation for training data, but it does not settle authorship or how funds should be distributed in situations like this.
share
