Suno is facing two new lawsuits from a group of Elvis Presley music rights holders and the publisher of several of Eminem’s major records. The plaintiffs claim the AI music company illegally generates music and lyrics that mimic the two artists.
In the lawsuit regarding Presley, lawyers argue that Suno violated Tennessee’s Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act. This law makes it illegal for an AI company to clone a singer’s voice. The lawyers representing Presley’s rights holders stated that “Suno has mechanically encoded itself with artists’ identities, hard-work, creativity, and time, and harnessed them all for a consistent conveyor belt of cold hard cash.“
The legal actions closely mirror a suit filed by Jason Isbell and others in September. That previous suit claimed Suno created imitations of the plaintiffs but did not directly claim copyright infringement. In the current complaint, lawyers further stated that “Suno’s ravenous race to the bottom aims to make human creativity obsolete, coldly replicating without a license in seconds what takes years to learn, struggle with, maintain, and endlessly attempt to make better and perfect.”
Suno spokesperson Cat McCormack told The Verge that the company exists to help people create new, original music rather than trading on any artist's name or likeness. McCormack stated that Suno prohibits unauthorized use of an artist’s work and does not allow prompts for specific artists’ names and songs. The company also works with third-party providers to screen uploaded audio files and lyrics for potential misuse. McCormack added that the company is always working to strengthen guardrails and will continue to add new safeguards to protect artists and users.
These legal challenges join a growing list of lawsuits against Suno from Sony, UMG, Isbell, Reservoir Media, and others.
