A US judge has rejected the central “selection and arrangement” theory behind claims involving nearly 2,000 reggaeton songs, while leaving separate sound-recording allegations alive. The ruling is a major lesson in how cultural influence, rhythmic innovation and copyright protection are not always the same thing. One of the most important copyright cases linking Jamaican music with reggaeton has changed direction sharply. A US federal judge has rejected the central legal theo

New international work on attribution, fingerprinting, watermarking and AI training transparency suggests that accurate catalogue data may determine whether creators are licensed or disappear from the value chain. Editorial verification: A new international AI infrastructure initiative launched in 2026 is bringing together creators, rights holders, technology companies and technical experts around data identification, attribution, watermarking, fingerprinting and rights manag

The music industry introduces “AI-generated” and “AI-assisted” recording labels, raising major rights questions for Jamaican artists and producers.

New reporting shows millions of songs circulating in AI training datasets, including reggae and dancehall catalogues. The Atlantic reported in June that four large music datasets containing millions of tracks have been circulating within AI-development communities. It was reported that reggae and dancehall artists, including Vybz Kartel, Shenseea, Spice, Popcaan, Shaggy, Masicka and Rvssian, appeared in searches of those datasets. AI training is not only a technology issue. I

The last couple of years have seen an incredible amount of innovation within the music industry, both on a business and creative level....