Tootfinder

A new group of publishers and news associations joins a lawsuit that claims OpenAI and Microsoft stole copyrighted articles to build commercial AI products (Insider NJ)
https://www.insidernj.com/copyright-lawsuit-against-openai-an…

Copyright Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft Grows to More Than 550 Publications - Insider NJ
Platkin LLP now represents 60 publishers across the country suing Open AI , Microsoft Represented by Platkin LLP,  publishers argue OpenAI and Microsoft  systematically and willfully stole copyrighted news articles without permission or compensation A new group of 26 local, regional and specialty publishers joined a landmark copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft Wednesday, alleging[...]

Reddit launches an early experiment to convert select text posts and comments into short videos with AI voiceovers, rolling out on the web, iOS, and Android (Jay Peters/The Verge)

Reddit’s AI is turning posts into podcasts and short videos
Reddit is testing adapting posts and comments into videos that are read aloud by AI voices, a technique already used by content scrapers and spammers.

Disney signs a deal with Like Nastya, adding some of the YouTube brand's videos to Disney and including an animated preschool series for Disney Jr. and Disney (Alex Weprin/The Hollywood Reporter)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-ne…

Disney Inks Content and Development Deal With Kids Creator Brand ‘Like Nastya’
An animated series for Disney Jr. and Disney+ and new live-action content are in the works.

New book: Bezos told Trump that WaPo had been one of his worst investments and "the people there are terrible"; Trump told associates Bezos was "kissing my ass" (Hugo Lowell/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/trump-mocked-m

Trump Mocked Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos by Showing Off Fawning Texts
“You would not believe the texts I got from these tech guys,” NYT reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan quote Donald Trump as telling associates in an upcoming book.

Apple raises the price of Apple Music, with the individual plan up by $1 to $11.99, and some Apple One bundles, the first price hike for Apple Music since 2022 (Chance Miller/9to5Mac)
https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/17/apple-raises-prices-for-apple…

Apple raises prices for Apple Music and Apple One subscriptions - 9to5Mac
Apple has raised the price of Apple Music today in the United States and other countries. Starting today, Apple Music’s...

Film and TV advocates and execs visited Washington, DC, on Wednesday to lobby for a federal production tax credit, ahead of an election recess for the US House (Katie Kilkenny/The Hollywood Reporter)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business

Netflix, Universal Chiefs Descend On D.C. to Capitalize on Trump Tax Credit Momentum
Ted Sarandos and Donna Langley along with SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin and more execs convened in Washington to lobby Congress to push through an incentive this year.

AI film startups are setting up studios in Hollywood, using US and Chinese AI models while touting lower production costs and a way around traditional financing (Robert Booth/The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/16/directors-embracing-ai-fil…

‘I see the incredible promise’: on set of an AI film shoot as new studios embrace controversial tech
Amid fears for jobs, some film-makers say AI could enable them to bypass studio giants and take more creative risks

Q&A with Semafor EIC Ben Smith about building an "anti-scale business", including not chasing traffic, having tech CEOs as advisors, news influencers, and more (Nilay Patel/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/podcast/980759/be

It’s about ethics in journalism, with Ben Smith
The head of the growing and profitable news organization on creating a global events business and avoiding the pitfalls of digital media.

Discord suspends livestreams in Brazil, after the country's data protection authority ordered it last week, saying Discord failed to protect children and teens (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/brazil-discord-children-social-me…

Discord suspends Brazil livestreams after suicide raises child protection concerns
Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, said it suspended its livestreams in Brazil. The move Monday takes place in the wake of a suicide case and after a body of the country’s justice ministry accused it of failing to protect for children and adolescents. Discord said in a statement that it is implementing the suspension of livestreams after a decision by Brazil’s national agency of data protection last week and added it is in conversations “to seek a solution tha…

Spotify expands its Partner Program to 35 new markets after easing eligibility requirements earlier in 2026 to 1,000 engaged listeners, three episodes, and more (Dragomir Stojkov/Net Influencer)
https://www.netinfluencer.com/spotify-expands-…

Spotify Expands Podcast Partner Program To More Than 35 New Markets
Spotify is expanding its Partner Program to more than 35 new markets, including Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, Poland and Spain. The rollout, set to launch later this fall, is the program’s largest expansion since it debuted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia in January 2025. Eligible audio and video creators in […]