As AI-generated covers spread, Nepali musicians fight to…
Nepali musicians are taking legal action against the unauthorized use of their voices and compositions in AI-generated covers appearing on platforms like…
- Incident date
- Jun 2024
- Target
- Sugam Pokharel and Bimal Adhikari
In late June 2024, prominent Nepali singer Sugam Pokharel issued a public warning on social media demanding the removal of unauthorized AI-generated content that utilized his voice and original works. This move highlighted a growing conflict in Nepal’s music industry, where artists are struggling to differentiate between legitimate AI creative tools and the misappropriation of their intellectual property. The situation has intensified as labels and creators grapple with the lack of modern legal frameworks to address voice cloning and unauthorized melodic imitation.
What happened
The crisis involves the unauthorized use of artists' voices, melodies, and lyrics to create AI-generated music covers. Bimal Adhikari, head of Bhavna Music Solution, reported that between 40 and 50 of his label's songs were altered using AI and re-uploaded by anonymous actors, with several instances traced to a single operator managing over a dozen YouTube channels. Adhikari has since filed individual copyright complaints against approximately 95 channels. While some cases were resolved through apologies and content removal, the artists remain concerned about the limitations of Nepal’s 2002 Copyright Act, which does not explicitly account for modern AI synthesis technologies.
Local law enforcement, specifically the Nepal Police’s Cyber Bureau, has received complaints but lacks a dedicated category for AI music offenses, complicating the tracking and resolution process. Artists argue that while they utilize AI tools like Suno to streamline their own production workflows, the current environment allows bad actors to exploit their creative identity. Industry stakeholders note that automated copyright systems may inadvertently penalize original artists if AI-generated clones are misidentified as the primary content. Despite global efforts by organizations like the IFPI and RIAA to introduce voluntary labeling frameworks for AI-generated music, Nepal currently lacks a domestic streaming disclosure system, leaving artists and listeners to navigate a landscape where unauthorized, unlabeled AI content is increasingly prevalent.