US Copyright Office Launches Inquiry into Music Streaming Fraud

The US Copyright Office has initiated an inquiry into fraudulent music streaming practices, seeking evidence on their impact on royalty payments and the need for stronger safeguards. This move follows a congressional request to investigate the prevalence of artificial plays, such as those generated by bot farms and click farms, which reduce the share of royalties for genuine listeners. The inquiry also comes a day after a man was sentenced for an AI-assisted scheme that generated over $8 million in fraudulent royalties.