The Oregon attorney general has sued the makers and marketers of 5-Hour Energy, alleging they engaged in deceptive advertising.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in Portland contends the company falsely claims customers get extra energy and focus from a unique blend of ingredients, when the effect actually comes from a concentrated dose of caffeine.
Oregon has been part of a group leading a 33-state investigation into the accuracy of the product's claims.
The suit also targets claims that users don't experience a crash when the effects subside and that the product is OK for adolescents.
The suit names Living Essentials LLC and Innovation Ventures LLC as defendants.
5-Hour Energy spokeswoman Melissa Skabich said state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is grasping at straws and the company will defend itself against what Skabich called civil intimidation.
Paul McCartney poses for photographers upon arrival for the premiere of the film "If These Walls Could Sing" in London, Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)
Paul McCartney urged the British government not to make a change to copyright laws that he says could let artificial intelligence companies rip off artists.
The government is consulting on whether to let tech firms use copyrighted material to help train artificial intelligence models unless the creators explicitly opt out.
McCartney told the BBC that would make it harder for artists to retain control of their work and undermine Britain's creative industries.
"You get young guys, girls, coming up, and they write a beautiful song, and they don't own it, and they don't have anything to do with it. And anyone who wants can just rip it off," the 82-year-old former Beatle said in an interview to be broadcast Sunday. An extract was released Saturday by the BBC.
"The truth is, the money's going somewhere. When it gets on the streaming platforms, somebody is getting it, and it should be the person who created it. It shouldn't be some tech giant somewhere."
Britain's center-left Labour Party government says it wants to make the U.K. a world leader in AI. In December, it announced a consultation into how copyright law can "enable creators and right holders to exercise control over, and seek remuneration for, the use of their works for AI training" while also ensuring "AI developers have easy access to a broad range of high-quality creative content."
Publishers, artists' organizations and media companies, including The Associated Press, have banded together as the Creative Rights in AI Coalition to oppose weakening copyright protections.
"We're the people, you're the government. You're supposed to protect us. That's your job," McCartney said. "So you know, if you're putting through a bill, make sure you protect the creative... Read More
