In this RallyCast episode, John Paul Keeler and Carl Osterlof sit down with Sean Clark, Vice President of Media Licensing at Adeia, to discuss copyright in the AI era. Drawing from two decades of experience in media licensing, Sean explores how “efficient infringement” strategies employed by AI companies echo the early days of digital piracy, but with far broader implications for creators.

Twenty years ago, the music industry faced its first digital disruption when Napster challenged traditional distribution models. Today, we’re witnessing history repeat itself as AI training models scrape creative content at unprecedented scale, leaving artists and creators scrambling for fair compensation. The parallels are striking, but the stakes have never been higher. Unlike the music industry’s eventual resolution through platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, AI’s appetite for training data presents a more fundamental challenge to creative ownership.

Sean brings a unique perspective to this episode, having witnessed firsthand the transformation from physical media to streaming platforms. His experience spans the evolution from Napster’s peer-to-peer chaos to today’s sophisticated licensing frameworks.

Also in this episode:

• How the shift from music sampling to AI training data reveals patterns of technological disruption and industry adaptation
• Why efficient infringement strategies employed by AI companies echo the early days of digital piracy, but with broader implications
• What the Tracy Chapman example teaches us about individual creators’ ability to protect their work in the AI era
• How IP provenance and data transparency could create a more equitable framework for AI training while preserving creator rights

About Sean Clark

Sean Clark is Vice President of Media Licensing at Adeia, responsible for IP licensing strategy across media and entertainment. He has over 20 years of experience in intellectual property, with prior roles at Ericsson, TiVo, Intellectual Ventures, and Microsoft. His work spans standards-essential patents, technology transactions, and licensing across sectors including mobile, streaming, e-commerce and consumer electronics. Sean is also an active member of the Licensing Executives Society, participating in industry events and discussions on IP trends.

About Adeia

Adeia is a leading R&D company that accelerates the adoption of innovative technologies in the media, entertainment and semiconductor industries. Adeia’s continuous development of foundational solutions enables and shapes the future of digital entertainment, electronics and high-performance computing.