Plus, music labels sue two startups over their generative AI tools. And at least 22 people have been killed in a fire at a lithium-battery plant. Zoe Thomas hosts.
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[00:00:00] Here's your TNB Tech Minute for Monday, June 24th. I'm Zoe Thomas for The Wall Street Journal. The European Union has charged Apple with failing to comply with a new digital competition law. The charges are the first to be issued under the bloc's Digital Markets Act, which took
[00:00:19] effect earlier this year. EU regulators allege the App Store isn't allowing developers to freely direct customers to alternative ways to make purchases. Apple says it has made changes in recent months to comply with the Digital Markets Act, and that it's confident its plan complies with the law.
[00:00:37] Major music companies are suing two generative artificial intelligence startups that allow users to compose new tracks using text prompts. The plaintiffs in the cases include Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and Warner Music Group, three of the largest recording companies.
[00:00:54] They allege the startups Suno and Udio used copyrighted works scraped from the internet to train the AI models that underpin their products. Representatives from Suno and Udio didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
[00:01:09] And a fire at a lithium battery plant about 30 miles from the South Korean capital, Seoul, has killed at least 22 people. Authorities haven't determined the cause, but a single battery cell appeared to have caught fire, triggering a series of blasts, according to an official with the local fire department.
[00:01:27] The factory is owned by Arisel, which makes lithium batteries used mainly for running smart grid electricity networks and military equipment. The company couldn't be reached for comment. For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out Tuesday's Tech News Briefing podcast.