Sony and UMG sue Suno over alleged copyright infringement in new AI models
Major record labels claim the AI music generator’s latest v6 models were trained on unlicensed recordings, seeking up to $9 billion in damages.
Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group (UMG) have filed a new lawsuit against AI music generator Suno, alleging that its latest v6 models infringe on their copyrights. The legal action, reported by Variety, challenges the narrative Suno has presented regarding its most recent AI models, which are the first released since the company signed licensing deals with Warner Music Group and BMG.
The labels argue that Suno found a roundabout way to train its v6 models on unlicensed music. Specifically, the suit takes issue with Suno’s public acknowledgement that the models were trained on "users' interactions" with the service. Sony Music and UMG interpret this to mean the outputs of, and preference signals derived from, prior models that Suno built by copying the plaintiffs' recordings without authorisation.
Under this interpretation, both companies claim Suno could be responsible for infringing on the copyright of at least 60,202 sound recordings. The lawsuit seeks up to $9 billion in damages under US copyright law. Additionally, the labels are pursuing penalties of up to $2,500 for each instance where Suno allegedly circumvented YouTube’s anti-downloading technology to scrape songs.
Suno has disputed the claims, stating in a statement to Engadget that the allegations are "fundamentally flawed on both the facts and the law." The company reaffirmed that v6 was trained on content licensed from partners Warner Music Group, BMG, and Believe, as well as interactions including creations and preference signals from its community. Suno emphasised its goal of allowing more people to make new music and expressed excitement for a future where AI and the music industry strengthen one another.
This new suit builds on a previous lawsuit filed by Sony Music, UMG, and Warner Music Group against the company. It also follows a July 2026 data hack that revealed Suno had scraped millions of songs and lyrics from platforms such as YouTube Music, Deezer, and Genius to train its earlier models. In the past, Suno has justified scraping music to train AI as falling under the fair use doctrine.
Alongside the release of its v6 models, Suno ended support for its older models, suggesting a strategic shift towards using licensed material to appease critics. However, if a judge is swayed by the record companies' understanding of how Suno trained its models, the move to licensed content may not be sufficient to resolve the dispute.
