Suno Faces New Wave of Lawsuits Over AI Music Clones
AI-generated image · US National Wire · Based on a photo by Rebecca Wilson (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Rights holders for Elvis Presley and Eminem allege the AI startup illegally mimicked artists to generate profit.
AI music startup Suno is facing two additional lawsuits from the publisher of some of Eminem's major records and a group of rights holders for Elvis Presley. According to reporting from The Verge, the plaintiffs allege that Suno illegally generates lyrics and music that mimic these specific artists.
In the suit brought by Presley's rights holders, lawyers claim Suno violated Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, which prohibits AI companies from cloning a singer's voice. The filing argues that Suno has "mechanically encoded itself" with the creativity and identities of artists to create a "conveyor belt of cold hard cash," while attempting to make human creativity obsolete by replicating work without a license.
These legal challenges follow a similar suit filed in September by Jason Isbell and others. The Verge reports that Suno is currently facing a growing list of litigation from other entities, including UMG, Sony, and Reservoir Media.
Suno spokesperson Cat McCormack told The Verge that the company's goal is to help users create original music rather than trading on a specific likeness. McCormack stated that Suno prohibits the unauthorized use of artist work, blocks prompts for specific songs or artist names, and utilizes third-party providers to screen lyrics and audio files for misuse.