Hey folks! Welcome to Edition #76 of The SEG3 Report.

Before we dive in: a PSA that SEG3 LA is returning on 9 & 10 December. Be part of the conversation alongside the leading marketing & tech innovators from the most recognisable culture & tech brands. First Release passes are now live, and subscribers can get 20% off passes here.

Right - onto the spotlighted piece, which unpicks Anthropic’s $1.5bn settlement for training Claude with copyrighted works, and the new landscape for managing your IP.

Also covered: The key developments unveiled from Roblox Developer Conference 2025, and what it means for brands, IP & creators on the platform + Supercell & Sybo’s crossover, and the best practices you can steal for IP and game crossovers.

Let’s dive in:

Contents: Edition #76

• Anthropic’s $1.5bn settlement & what it means for IP owners

• The key developments unveiled from Roblox Developer Conference 2025

• SYBO & Supercell team Subway Surfers up with Brawl Stars

Anthropic’s $1.5bn settlement & what it means for IP owners

Anthropic has agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion ($3,000 per work) to settle a U.S. class-action lawsuit brought by authors who alleged copyright infringement. The settlement covers an estimated 500,000 works, with the potential for more as the full list of pirated materials is finalised. Authors can still opt out of the lawsuit and pursue their own legal claims. Anthropic still faces a separate lawsuit from music labels & entertainment studios over alleged use of copyrighted works.

TL;DR:

• Anthropic used “fair use” argument to scrape the internet (incl. pirated sites) to train Claude with copyrighted material.

• For the first time a US court has backed the position of copyright owners, in this case authors.

• There is an even larger ongoing battle with Warner Bros., which could see the expected settlement per work far exceed the authors.

• Given the rate at which fans (or bad actors) can now create using AI, shutting down these infringements has become immeasurably hard to enforce. New IP management & licensing frameworks are essential to protecting and monetising in this new landscape.

Generative AI is a fascinating technology and tool, and is now being used right across the board by creatives and corporates alike to support and accelerate their work.

But for some, it has come at a cost, with protected works of authors and studios being used by large tech businesses, like Anthropic & Midjourney, to train their models without compensating them fairly (or in most cases, at all).

This is because these tech businesses have been operating under the premise of “fair use”. Fair use in copyright law however dictates four things:

1. Why you’re using it
   Teaching, news, parody, or just trying to make money off it. This distinction is important.
   

2. What kind of work it is

   Is the work more factual (more likely to favour fair use) or highly creative, like music & film (less likely).
   

3. How much you used
   IP owners currently tend to prioritise larger infringements, so a small piece is more likely okay than the whole thing, but even a small part can be too much if it’s the most important bit.
   

4. Effect on the potential market

   If your use makes people less likely to buy the original, it’s less likely to be fair use. This is the premise of Warner Bros. case, stating that fans creating works through Claude is damaging their sales of posters and the likes.

In short, fair use lets people quote, remix or build on copyrighted stuff in limited ways, especially if it adds something new and doesn’t steal the original’s market. The problem with Anthropic and other tech businesses is they’ve used copyrighted material to train commercial AI models, which is directly impacting the creators ability to monetise their IP.

Why should you care?

This ruling with Anthropic, which has seen them pay out $3,000 per piece of work, gives precedent to others that feel their IP has been infringed upon to file their own suits to recoup damages.

And with Warner Bros. currently in a legal battle with Anthropic, we could be about to see a MUCH larger payout (rumoured to be $150k per works) if it’s ruled that Anthropic used WB’s content to train.

Malicious infringement should always been tackled harshly.

But I’m firmly of the thinking that growing and monetising your IP in today’s landscape is going to require a change of approach from protection to management.

Why?

Because the genie is out of the bottle. Fans, whether using AI or UGC platforms, want to recreate their favourite characters, games, sports etc. Leaning into these non-malicious or fan infringements, that can be retroactively commercialised, or in the case of fans, not being used commercially, would be beneficial for brand growth.

So on that note…

What you should be exploring?

Step 1 – Audit your catalogue

Where is your content or IP showing up, are you monetising it and are you in control?

Keeping in front of infringements was hard before AI. Now, with the speed that fans (and bad actors) can create, it’s nigh on impossible. We covered in Edition #63 how you can move from protection to management.

Step 2 - Set boundaries for what fair use means to you

Not every reuse of your content is a threat. Understanding where fair use applies helps you focus your energy on real risks while spotting opportunities to let your IP travel further and build value in new ways.

Step 3 - Operationalise

• Tracking: What tools or partners can help you spot infringements faster?
  

• Enforcement: Where does it make sense to push hard, and where is a lighter touch (or even no action) more beneficial?
  

• Partnerships: Some “infringers” may actually be super fans or potential collaborators. Can you monetise grey-area uses through retroactive licensing rather than a broad brush shutdown culture?

Closing Thoughts

The balance between protection and growth has never been trickier. Knowing when to enforce (like in the case with Anthropic here), and when to collaborate (as with unofficial games on Roblox that already have audience) requires new, more adaptable strategies and smarter use of tech to put yourself back in the driver’s seat.

Because in a world where your IP will be remixed regardless, the real advantage lies in steering that energy towards building reach, revenue and relevance.

The key developments unveiled from Roblox Developer Conference 2025

At RDC 2025, Roblox rolled out multiple new developments including fully functional 4D objects, real-time language translation tools, Roblox Moments (a short-form, discoverable video clip feature for gameplay highlights) and announced that creators will earn 8.5% more via DevEx. With Roblox still aiming to capture 10% of the gaming market.

TL;DR:

• AI tools: Generative 4D objects + real-time voice translation to speed up creation.

• Moments: Short-form clips for sharing gameplay highlights.

• DevEx rate: Increased to 8.5%, more value back to creators.

• Licensing & IP: Anime and manga partnerships (like with Blue Lock) are being rolled out.

• Events: “The Takeover” to launch on September 12th.

There’s a tonne to focus in on from RDC - Server authority, real-time voice translation, DevEx being raised to 8.5% (which would've meant an extra $95m for devs last year), launching of “The Takeover” events and more - but perhaps the biggest thing to catch our eye was “Moments”.

Why should you care?

Moments shifts Roblox from being just a game ecosystem into being a content ecosystem too. UGC games now create UGC content, which then fuels discovery of those games, which then feeds the creator economy. It’s a loop, and it means they are becoming an one-stop-shop for their players to immerse themselves in their favourite games, and the content built around it.

What does it tell us, and how can you capitalise?

By keeping gameplay, clipping and sharing now all inside its walls, Roblox is tightening its grip on both creators and audiences, making sure you don’t need to go anywhere else.

So how can you make the most of it?

• Creators
  → Discovery is always key (and getting harder given there are 6m+ experiences). How can you tell a story through your clips that can help to drive traffic to your experience? Producing good content will get them to come, producing a great game will get them to stay.
  

• Advertisers/Media
  → Given Roblox Moments will operate somewhat like TikTok, there will now be more opportunity for advertisers to buy inventory in-platform that mimics the traditional formats they and their media agencies know.
  

• IP owners
  → Think about how can your content and IP travel inside of Roblox, not just outside of it. Whereas game dev is not the norm for many brands & IP, content production is an area many excel. There’s now the opportunity to lean into your skill set of telling stories to drive new users to your games year-round.

Closing Thoughts

Plenty to take stock of from RDC.

Enhanced tools for devs, more ways for brands and IP to plug in and engage with players, and a platform that’s continually adding pieces of the jigsaw towards being the one-stop-shop for where the next-generation plays, creates and hangs out.

SYBO & Supercell team Subway Surfers up with Brawl Stars

Supercell and SYBO have launched the first dual-game crossover between Brawl Stars and Subway Surfers, live for four weeks. Subway Surfers adds a Brawl-themed world, six new characters, and its first competitive multiplayer mode, Showdown. Brawl Stars introduces a Subway Surfers season with a new 10-player racing mode, Subway Run, plus themed rewards and power-ups.

TL;DR:

• Through this short-term collab, Brawl Stars and Subway Surfers are opening each other up to the other’s gaming audience.

• Both added real mechanics from the other (Subway goes multiplayer, Brawl adds racing).

• Supercell have used the event to funnel players into its wider portfolio of games.

• The TLDR of the TLDR - pick partners that expand your reach, integrate deeply (not superficially) and keep events time-limited to drive urgency and learning.

These are two games I have spent many, many an hour playing, so seeing the crossover, I had to dive in. But aside from my own personal preferences, there’s some best practices (IMO) on show that are good examples of how to authentically take your IP into new environments.

So, why should you care?

This crossover caught the eye for a few reasons.

1) Both games have pulled in real mechanics from each other. Subway Surfers has released a multiplayer edition, the Brawl Stars Showdown, where characters and their power-ups from the Supercell game are integrated into the race.

And likewise with Brawl Stars, has bolted on a 10-player racing mode, with power-ups for Subway Surfers integrated into the game.

After finishing each game (atleast in my experience), I was presented with ads of other games in Supercell’s portfolio (Clash Royale etc), so they’re also using the crossover as an opportunity to push players to other parts of their ecosystem, not just to Brawl Stars.

And secondly:

2) The audiences each SYBO & Supercell have makes this even more interesting. Subway Surfers is a juggernaut with over 2.7 billion downloads and around 100 million monthly active users (per Wikipedia), making it one of the most widely played mobile titles on the planet. Brawl Stars, on the other hand, is a newer release, so smaller in scale with around 17 million monthly active users and 3.5 million daily active users (per Udonis), but its community skews younger (18–24) and more engaged, with strong retention.

Combine those two things, and Subway Surfers brings the mass casual audience to Brawl Stars, and Brawl Stars brings a sticky, competitive fanbase to Subway Surfers. Together, they’re leaning into the strengths that powered both to become the successes they are.

So, what can you steal from this?

Step 1 - Find partners that can grow the pie
Look for collaborations that bring something you don’t already have - whether that’s a bigger casual audience, a more engaged competitive base or a new genre angle. If there’s an example of how to expand reach without cannibalising, this is one of them.

Step 2- Go beyond surface-level integrations
Don’t just swap skins or logos. Borrow the mechanics, characters and features that made your partner’s game successful, and use them to create something fresh for your players.

Step 3 - Use time-limited events to learn fast
Keep it contained (i.e. as both Supercell & SYBO have done with optional game-modes, whilst the usual game can still be played for those not interested). A short event window creates urgency whilst giving you a safe space to experiment, test engagement and see what sticks. This can then give you the data and insights you need for future collabs.

Closing Thoughts

Crossovers with such deep integration like this are still rare in gaming, which makes this stand out even more to players. So whilst it’s unlikely you’ll ever see direct rivals like Call of Duty and Battlefield team up, if you can scout and find games in different genres or with complementary audiences, these kinds of experiments can open the door to new players, new revenue and new ways to keep old fans coming back. And in free-to-play mobile games, where retention drives ad spend and in-game purchases, crossovers like this can genuinely help to shift the needle.

In other news this week:

• The NFL teams up with MrBeast & other creators to promote free Chargers vs Chiefs game on YouTube: see here.

• Nickelodeon uses Roblox to recreate scenes from Avatar: The Last Airbender: see here.

• Paramount & Activision announce Call of Duty theatrical release: read here.

• Premier League launches ‘Beat the Icon’ FPL challenge with Coca-Cola: read here.

• Voldex partners with Aston Martin to bring six car models to Driving Empire: read here.

• Sports Interactive release first look at Football Manager 26: see here.

• Creator Games receives funding from Spin Master Ventures and more to invest in 200+ Roblox titles: read here.

• Dentsu on why marketers should notice anime: read here.

• Chivas Regal & Ferrari release new short film on pit crew: read here.

• Livewire enters Canadian market by partnering with Future: read here.

• Move.ai opens up Move API for studio-grade motion capture: read here.

• Subway Australia launches gaming campaign through EAFC: read here.

• Shell & Ferrari celebrate 75th year of partnership with Gen-AI powered fan-experience: read here.

• ECAL partners with Saudi Pro League for calendar-based fan engagement: read here.

• OneFootball partners with Cleeng to manage OTT payments: read here.

• Nazara Technologies to launch FPS game ‘Bodycam’ into UEFN: read here.

Working on anything cool, or have a press release you would like us to cover? Send it in for the chance for it to be covered in next week’s edition!

That’s all for now everyone - thanks again for reading the latest edition of The SEG3 Report, and if you found it of interest, please do consider sharing with a friend!