AI music platform Suno has been sued again. The plaintiffs this time are the entity that holds the copyright to Elvis Presley's music and Eight Mile Style, the publishing company of Eminem's songs.
At the heart of the accusation is imitation. The plaintiff said that the songs generated by Suno were highly close to these legendary singers in melody, style and lyrics, and their images and works were used without authorization. The attorney's original words were to the effect that this kind of tool can replicate what people have spent decades accumulating in just a few seconds.
Suno's response is that the platform strictly prohibits the unauthorized use of specific artists' names and songs, and has integrated third-party tools to screen for abuse.
This isn't Suno's first time in court. Sony Music and Universal Music jointly sued it earlier this year, targeting the v6 model. However, Warner Music later dropped the lawsuit and signed a licensing agreement with Suno instead.
This is not the first time that Elvis Presley’s copyright owners have taken on AI companies. They previously claimed $41 million from Anthropic over training data issues.
One of the three major record companies has reconciled, while the other two are still fighting, and now the copyright holders of individual artists are also in trouble. There is a high probability that AI music will eventually go the way of "paid licensing". The only question is how much the price will be.