Orfium Secures EU Grant To Lead AI Project On Copyright Detection In Music

The funding comes under the EU’s €7.5 million AIXPERT project, part of the Horizon Europe programme. The goal is to make AI systems more transparent and accountable, helping Europe stay competitive in the global AI race.

Orfium will be part of a pan-European consortium, selected as one of just three winning proposals out of 135 applications to receive the grant.

The consortium brings together top institutions, including Sorbonne University, Athens Research Centre, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, University of Barcelona, Novelcore, Furhat Robotics, Kyklos Ltd., Workable, Infinitivity Design Labs, ITML, Martel Innovate, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, University of Groningen, the Vector Institute for AI, and the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

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Their goal is to develop AI technologies that can clearly explain how decisions are made. The focus is on building a human-centric AI framework based on FATE principles—Fairness, Accountability, Transparency and Ethics. This means creating AI systems that are transparent, traceable, and inclusive from the start.

Orfium, with over 700 experts across eight global hubs, serves clients such as music publishers, record labels, broadcasters, studios, production companies, and collection societies. It’s the only consortium member using explainable AI models to detect when AI-generated music includes parts of existing human-made songs—an essential step for ensuring proper credit and payment to original creators.

This project uses cutting-edge technology to make sure original human creators—like songwriters, composers, and publishers—get the recognition and payments they deserve.

As the first large-scale research of its kind, it could help set new standards for copyright, licensing, and monetisation in the age of AI, all while protecting and supporting human creativity in music.

Rob Wells, CEO of Orfium, said the project is a major step forward for the music industry and fits perfectly with Orfium’s mission to use AI in ways that benefit the sector.

"As generative AI reshapes the entertainment landscape, we are building the infrastructure to ensure creators remain at the centre of that evolution.

To be selected by the European Commission is a strong validation of Orfium's position at the forefront of innovation in music rights management. It aligns with our commitment to leverage AI to tackle the entertainment industry's most complex challenges."

Haris Papageorgiou AIXPERT Coordinator, said "We are at a critical inflexion point where AI's tremendous potential can only be fully realised if we get the fundamentals right from the ground up.

This isn't just about building more powerful systems – it's about building AI that people can actually trust and understand.

We are essentially creating AI that can explain itself in human terms while maintaining the rigour and performance that makes it valuable in the first place."

About Orfium

Orfium is a global tech company helping the entertainment industry find, track, use, and monetize music content. It simplifies digital music and broadcast rights management, cue sheets, data, and reporting across all platforms.