Anthropic moves to kill the torrenting claim against Dario Amodei in the publishers' second lyrics case
Anthropic is trying to shrink the second copyright case music publishers have brought against it, and the first thing it wants gone is the claim that names its co-founder. In a pair of filings reported on Wednesday, August 5, the Claude developer asked the court to dismiss a direct infringement claim built on Dario Amodei’s alleged torrenting.
The case, brought by Concord and other publishers in early 2026, is the follow-up to the original suit over Claude reproducing song lyrics.
What Anthropic is asking the court to remove
Anthropic already shook off the vicarious infringement allegations in May 2026. With that route closed, the publishers refiled with direct infringement and DMCA violations front and centre, which is what the new motions target.
The direct infringement claim rests on Amodei personally. Anthropic’s position is that no evidence supports it, according to Digital Music News.
The second target is broader. Anthropic wants the whole DMCA claim struck, the one alleging the company stripped copyright management information out of the text it fed into training.
Why Anthropic says there was no work to strip
The publishers’ amended complaint alleges Anthropic “intentionally takes steps to affirmatively remove Copyright Management Information from the text it uses for AI training”.
Anthropic’s answer turns on what counts as a work.
The DMCA only prohibits removal of CMI from entire copyrighted works. Here, that means Publishers' musical compositions, not solely the lyrics within them.
The company continued that the publishers “never allege that Anthropic possessed those compositions, much less removed CMI from them”, and that this “confirms that Anthropic never possessed copyrighted works from which to remove CMI”.
It is a definitional defence. A lyric sheet is not a composition, and if the thing the publishers own is the composition, then scraped lyric text sits outside the claim.
Where the two publisher cases against Anthropic stand
Both actions are moving slowly. The older suit is stuck in expert-testimony arguments with a scheduling conference set for early next month, and this second one is now waiting on a dismissal ruling.
Anthropic has also spent 2026 settling around the edges of this fight, including the $1.5 billion authors settlement that Donald Passman tried to exit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Concord II lawsuit against Anthropic?
It is the second copyright action music publishers including Concord brought against Anthropic, filed in early 2026. It runs alongside the older publishers' case over Claude reproducing song lyrics, which is still in the expert-testimony stage.
Why is Dario Amodei personally named in the publishers' direct infringement claim?
The publishers' complaint ties a direct infringement claim to allegations that Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei personally torrented copyrighted material. Anthropic argues in its partial dismissal filing that no evidence of direct infringement by Amodei exists.
What is Anthropic's DMCA argument about copyright management information?
Anthropic says the DMCA only bars removing copyright management information from entire copyrighted works. It argues the publishers own musical compositions rather than standalone lyric text, and that the complaint never alleges Anthropic possessed those compositions, so there was nothing to strip the information from.
How did Anthropic's earlier vicarious infringement defence in the publishers' case turn out?
Anthropic beat back the vicarious infringement allegations in May 2026. That win is part of why direct infringement and DMCA violations have moved to the centre of the publishers' second complaint.
About the author
Covering AI music tools, industry shifts, and news for music creators and professionals. Twice-weekly newsletter at aimusicpreneur.com.
