Sony sues Udio over alleged copyright infringement of 30,000 songs

Sony Music Entertainment has initiated fresh legal proceedings in a New York court against AI music generator Udio, alleging the infringement of copyright for over 30,000 songs. The complaint cites tracks by prominent artists including Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Johnny Cash, Harry Styles, and Elvis Presley. Sony is seeking an injunction to prevent further infringement and is claiming damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work.

This lawsuit follows a 2024 action where Sony, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records sued Udio and Suno; however, Universal and Warner have since settled their disputes and entered into partnerships with Udio. The new claim was developed after Sony gained access to Udio’s training data through discovery in the previous case, using audio fingerprinting to identify the infringed works.

A prior motion by Sony to add these songs to the original lawsuit was rejected by a judge, limiting that specific case to 333 works. Sony now treats the 30,000 tracks as the subject of this separate action, which the company states it could expand. The filing notes that the list represents only a small portion of the plaintiff’s works that Udio allegedly infringed.

Sony claims Udio admitted its generative AI models were constructed by showing the program a vast amount of sound recordings, including from YouTube. The company is seeking to block Udio from infringing its works and demands up to $150,000 per infringed work.

The outcome of the current lawsuit and the specific damages awarded remain uncertain. The source states the list represents “only a small portion of Plaintiffs’ works that Udio infringed,” but it is unclear if Sony will file further lawsuits to address the remaining works.