# AI Copyright Docket: Udio §1201 Survives; Meta Admits Torrents; Anthropic Attacks Harm Expert

Times of AI Desk · 2026-04-20 · Policy

[https://timesof.ai/2026/04/ai-copyright-litigation-updates-sony-meta-anthropic](https://timesof.ai/2026/04/ai-copyright-litigation-updates-sony-meta-anthropic)

> McKool Smith’s April 20 update: Sony/Udio motion to dismiss on YouTube rolling-cipher §1201 denied pending expert record; Meta answers Kadrey admitting book torrenting while fighting fair-use conclusions; Anthropic moves to exclude Concord Music harm expert as speculative vs UMG investor ‘net positive’ AI remarks. Cases are deep into facts — not threshold wipeouts.

The generative-AI copyright fight has left the pure motion-to-dismiss era. The April 20 snapshot’s trade: courts want **technology and harm records**, while defendants split strategies — admit messy facts and bet fair use (Meta), or attack the other side’s economics expert (Anthropic).

**McKool Smith** published **AI Infringement Case Updates** (April 20, 2026) covering procedural moves across major suits. This desk summarizes that roundup — **law-firm litigation tracker**, not original court reporting.

## Headline cases

**Sony v. Uncharted Labs (Udio)** — Motion to dismiss **denied** (for now). Plaintiffs allege stream-ripping / YouTube “rolling cipher” circumvention under **17 U.S.C. § 1201**. Fight: access control vs copy control. Court: insufficient factual record; deny without prejudice; renew after expert discovery on how the cipher operates.

**Kadrey et al. v. Meta** — Meta **answers** fourth amended complaint. Admits **torrenting books without permission**; contests legal conclusions. Few facts appear disputed; **fair use** remains the core question. Contributory infringement claims tied to torrenting added by plaintiffs.

**Concord Music Group et al. v. Anthropic** — Anthropic moves to **exclude** plaintiffs’ expert Michael Smith on market harm: speculative, weakly supported, allegedly contradicted by **UMG** (parent of two plaintiffs) investor statements that revenue was not harmed by “AI royalty dilution” and AI would be “overwhelmingly net positive.” Judge Lee related *BMG Rights Mgmt v. Anthropic*; late-stage BMG likely sidelined pending summary judgment.

## Other docket notes (McKool)

- **Reddit v. Anthropic**: remanded to SF Superior; CMC May 20; joint “complex” petition.
- **SDNY MDL**: fact discovery closed; status conference May 12.
- **UMG v. Suno**: quiet; plaintiffs cite Sony/Udio §1201 denial as supplemental authority.
- **Andersen v. Stability AI**: deposition/source-code fights as discovery deadline nears.
- **Disney/Universal/Warner v. Midjourney**: no new word on Midjourney’s Disney in-house GenAI docs motion.
- **Disney et al. v. MiniMax & Hailuo**: MTD on jurisdiction / failure to state a claim.
- **Hendrix v. Apple**: Apple answers; admits training on copyrighted works; denies/recharacterizes much else.

## Claims vs checks

Case postures are from **McKool Smith’s tracker** cross-checked against known dockets in their summary. UMG investor-statement characterizations are **Anthropic’s motion framing** as reported — verify against SEC transcripts before treating as undisputed. No merits rulings on fair use or §1201 final liability in this update.

## Limits

- Secondary litigation digest — not a substitute for PACER.
- Outcomes still turn on expert records and fair-use/harm trials ahead.
- Parallel MDLs and related cases can reshuffle calendars quickly.

## Sources

- [McKool Smith: “AI Infringement Case Updates: April 20, 2026.”](https://www.mckoolsmith.com/newsroom-ailitigation-59)
- Cross-referenced coverage of underlying complaints, motions, and prior orders.