A German court ruled against Suno over its use of copyrighted works in its generative AI music service.
U.S.-based Suno said that it is evaluating its options in the wake of the ruling, including an appeal.
A regional court in Munich ruled on Friday that Suno violated copyrights when it used music covered by the licensing agency GEMA, per Reuters.
The case reflected the ongoing debate over the use of copyrighted works in training models, with a number of lawsuits in the United States focused on inputs and outputs. The specifics of the German ruling were not clear, but Suno does not expect the decision to impact cases in the U.S.
Tobias Holzmüller, CEO of GEMA, said in a statement, “The court made it clear today: AI models based on the theft of intellectual property do not enjoy legal protection. AI providers must acquire licenses and cannot simply help themselves to our members’ works for free. In doing so, the court has significantly strengthened Europe as a hub for culture. If systems are operated in Europe, legal action can be taken before European courts. This is crucial for legal enforcement.”
Kai Welp, GEMA’s general counsel, said that the ruling was “very gratifying to see the assessment of the legal situation in the USA and the fact that we can sue in Munich regardless of where the training takes place.”
A spokesperson for Suno said, “From the beginning, we trained our models to create new songs, not reproduce existing ones, and built protections into our platform.
“We disagree with today’s ruling – which rests on a fundamental mischaracterization of how Suno’s technology works, how it is used and how U.S. law applies — and are evaluating all available options, including an appeal.”
One of the highest profile cases in the U.S. is a lawsuit brought by three studios — Warner Bros., NBC Universal and Disney — challenging Midjourney’s unauthorized use of copyrighted works, including IP from Star Wars and Superman. The AI company has said that it is a fair use of the material under the Copyright Act.
Wolfram Weimer, Germany‘s minister of state for culture and media, said in a statement that the ruling was an “important signal for strengthening the rights of creatives in the digital music market.”
In November, the German court ruling in favor of GEMA over its challenge to OpenAI’s use of song lyrics.
