Generative AI Under Scrutiny: Historic Munich Ruling on Copyright

SÉRVULO PUBLICATIONS 21 Nov 2025

The Munich Regional Court issued, on November 11, 2025, a groundbreaking decision that could mark a turning point in the regulation of generative artificial intelligence in Europe.

The court ruled that using copyrighted song lyrics to train models such as ChatGPT, without a license from GEMA - the entity that manages composers’ and music publishers’ copyright in Germany - constitutes a copyright infringement.

The decision obliges OpenAI to obtain licenses for this type of use and recognizes GEMA’s right to compensation for damages, estimated at hundreds of thousands of euros, as well as access to information about the data used.

Although OpenAI has already announced it will appeal, this decision sets an important precedent for the legal framework of generative AI, reinforcing the need for explicit licensing for protected content.

On the one hand, this ruling strengthens the guarantees granted to copyright in the era of artificial intelligence; on the other hand, it underscores the growing need for companies developing or deploying AI models to reassess their training practices and implement robust licensing mechanisms to mitigate legal risks.

Beatriz de Figueiredo Teixeira | bft@servulo.com

Sara Ti | sct@servulo.com