UMG Recordings Inc v Suno Inc: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:24, 7 September 2026

Case Information
Case name	UMG Recordings Inc v. Suno Inc^[1]
Court	U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts^[1]
Docket	1:24-cv-11611-FDS^[1]
Filed	June 24, 2024^[1]
Judge(s)	F. Dennis Saylor IV^[2]^[3]
Plaintiffs	UMG Recordings, Inc.; Capitol Records, LLC; Sony Music Entertainment (August 2026 amended complaint)^[4]
Defendants	Suno, Inc.; John Does 1–10^[1]
Case type	Civil copyright action^[1]
Claims / issues	Copyright infringement of sound recordings and DMCA § 1201 circumvention^[1]
Status	August 25, 2026: amended complaint filed after orders addressing leave to amend. Later developments have not been verified.^[4]

UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc. is a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by major record labels against AI music generation company Suno, alleging that Suno trained its AI models on vast quantities of copyrighted sound recordings without authorization.

Allegations

The plaintiffs — including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and other major labels — allege that Suno copied millions of copyrighted sound recordings to train its AI music generation models. The labels argue this constitutes mass copyright infringement on an unprecedented scale.

The August 25 amended complaint alleges that Suno used YT-DL and YT-DLP to bypass YouTube’s “rolling cipher” and obtain recordings for its training data.^[5]^[6]

Settlement Status

In April 2026, Warner Music Group reached a landmark licensing deal with Suno, becoming the first major label to settle. However, Universal Music Group and Sony Music have reached an impasse in settlement negotiations, with disputes over licensing fees and terms. The litigation continues for the non-settling labels while the Warner deal reshapes the AI music licensing landscape.

Procedural History

June 24, 2024 — Complaint filed in District of Massachusetts
2025 — Discovery and motion practice
April 2026 — Warner Music Group settles; UMG and Sony reach settlement impasse
August 18, 2026 — Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV permits UMG and Sony to add a DMCA Section 1201 stream-ripping claim but denies their request to add 61,026 recordings.^[6]
August 25, 2026 — UMG and Sony file the amended complaint.^[5]

Significance

This case is one of the most important AI copyright disputes in the music industry, alongside the parallel case against Udio. The outcome will help define whether AI training on copyrighted music constitutes fair use and establish licensing frameworks for AI-generated music.

References

[case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026

[case-record-0b8691fc76f58f89-2] Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026

[case-record-f246c12e15b58c5b-3] Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026

[case-record-639d33d9d9ae1048-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026

[suno-amended-complaint-5] 5.0 ^5.1 U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, amended complaint, filed August 25, 2026

[cmu-suno-aug28-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Complete Music Update, “Universal and Sony file amended Suno lawsuit after judge gives all clear to add stream ripping claims,” August 28, 2026

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-'''UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc.''' (Case No. 1:24-cv-11716, D. Mass.) is a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group on June 24, 2024, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleging Suno used copyrighted sound recordings to train its AI music generation models.<ref name="dynamo">[https://dynamoi.com/learn/statistics/ai-music-copyright-cases-timeline Dynamoi: AI Music Copyright Cases Timeline]</ref>
+<!-- AILawWiki case sidebar v1 -->
+<div class="ailaw-case-layout" style="display:flex;flex-direction:row-reverse;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:1.5em;align-items:flex-start;">
+<div class="ailaw-case-sidebar" style="flex:0 1 22em;max-width:100%;min-width:0;">
-== Background ==
+{| class="wikitable ailaw-case-info" style="width:100%;margin:0;"
+|+ style="font-size:125%;font-weight:bold;padding:0.5em;" | Case Information
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Case name
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | UMG Recordings Inc v. Suno Inc<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227">[https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.272063/gov.uscourts.mad.272063.1.0.pdf Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026]</ref>
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Court
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Docket
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | 1:24-cv-11611-FDS<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Filed
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | June 24, 2024<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Judge(s)
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | F. Dennis Saylor IV<ref name="case-record-0b8691fc76f58f89">[https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.272063/gov.uscourts.mad.272063.271.0.pdf Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026]</ref><ref name="case-record-f246c12e15b58c5b">[https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.272063/gov.uscourts.mad.272063.272.0.pdf Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026]</ref>
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Plaintiffs
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | UMG Recordings, Inc.; Capitol Records, LLC; Sony Music Entertainment (August 2026 amended complaint)<ref name="case-record-639d33d9d9ae1048">[https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/files/2026/08/gov.uscourts.mad_.272063.277.0_1.pdf Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026]</ref>
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Defendants
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Suno, Inc.; John Does 1–10<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Case type
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Civil copyright action<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Claims / issues
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Copyright infringement of sound recordings and DMCA § 1201 circumvention<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
+|-
+! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Status
+| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | August 25, 2026: amended complaint filed after orders addressing leave to amend. Later developments have not been verified.<ref name="case-record-639d33d9d9ae1048" />
+|}
-Suno Inc. operates an AI music generation platform that creates songs from text prompts. On June 24, 2024, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on behalf of UMG, Sony, and Warner, filed suit against Suno for copyright infringement, claiming the company trained its models on vast quantities of copyrighted music without authorization.<ref name="dynamo" />
+</div>
+<div class="ailaw-case-article" style="flex:1 1 28em;min-width:0;overflow-wrap:anywhere;">
-Suno filed a fair use defense answer on August 1, 2024.<ref name="dynamo" />
+'''UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc.''' is a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by major record labels against AI music generation company Suno, alleging that Suno trained its AI models on vast quantities of copyrighted sound recordings without authorization.
 == Allegations ==
+The plaintiffs — including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and other major labels — allege that Suno copied millions of copyrighted sound recordings to train its AI music generation models. The labels argue this constitutes mass copyright infringement on an unprecedented scale.
-The plaintiffs allege:
+The August 25 amended complaint alleges that Suno used YT-DL and YT-DLP to bypass YouTube’s “rolling cipher” and obtain recordings for its training data.<ref name="suno-amended-complaint">[https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/files/2026/08/gov.uscourts.mad_.272063.277.0_1.pdf U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, amended complaint, filed August 25, 2026]</ref><ref name="cmu-suno-aug28">[https://completemusicupdate.com/universal-and-sony-file-amended-suno-lawsuit-after-judge-gives-all-clear-to-add-stream-ripping-claims/ Complete Music Update, “Universal and Sony file amended Suno lawsuit after judge gives all clear to add stream ripping claims,” August 28, 2026]</ref>
-* Suno copied copyrighted sound recordings to train its AI models
-* The company produced AI-generated music that competes with human-recorded works
-* Suno actively sought to train on the major labels' catalogs
-== Partial Settlement Status ==
+== Settlement Status ==
+In April 2026, Warner Music Group reached a landmark licensing deal with Suno, becoming the first major label to settle. However, Universal Music Group and Sony Music have reached an '''impasse''' in settlement negotiations, with disputes over licensing fees and terms. The litigation continues for the non-settling labels while the Warner deal reshapes the AI music licensing landscape.
-While Warner Music Group settled with Suno in November 2025, UMG and Sony's litigation against Suno remains active as of April 2026:<ref name="dmn-settlement">[https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/04/09/suno-universal-music-lawsuit-settlement-impasse/ Digital Music News: Suno and Universal Hit Settlement Impasse Over Fees and Equity]</ref>
-* '''WMG-Suno Settlement (November 25, 2025)''': Warner Music and Suno announced a partnership settling the lawsuit. Suno retired all unlicensed models and launched new Warner-licensed models. Financial and equity terms were undisclosed. Free users lost downloads; paid users face caps.<ref name="techcrunch">[https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/25/warner-music-signs-deal-with-ai-music-startup-suno-settles-lawsuit/ TechCrunch: Warner Music Signs Deal With AI Music Startup Suno]</ref>
-* '''UMG/Sony v. Suno — Still Active''': As of April 2026, UMG and Sony are seeking details of the Warner-Suno deal amid a continuing lawsuit. UMG and Sony have hit a settlement impasse with Suno over fees and equity terms.<ref name="dmn-settlement" /><ref name="dmn-latest">[https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/04/24/suno-universal-music-lawsuit/ Digital Music News: Suno and Universal Music Lawsuit — Latest Updates]</ref>
 == Procedural History ==
+* '''June 24, 2024''' — Complaint filed in District of Massachusetts
+* '''2025''' — Discovery and motion practice
+* '''April 2026''' — Warner Music Group settles; UMG and Sony reach settlement impasse
+* '''August 18, 2026''' — Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV permits UMG and Sony to add a DMCA Section 1201 stream-ripping claim but denies their request to add 61,026 recordings.<ref name="cmu-suno-aug28" />
+* '''August 25, 2026''' — UMG and Sony file the amended complaint.<ref name="suno-amended-complaint" />
-* '''June 24, 2024''': Complaint filed<ref name="dynamo" />
+== Significance ==
-* '''August 1, 2024''': Suno files fair use defense answer<ref name="dynamo" />
+This case is one of the most important AI copyright disputes in the music industry, alongside the parallel case against Udio. The outcome will help define whether AI training on copyrighted music constitutes fair use and establish licensing frameworks for AI-generated music.
-* '''November 18, 2024''': Hearing before Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson<ref name="dynamo" />
-* '''December 2024''': Discovery established; January 2025: Source code protocol in Suno case<ref name="dynamo" />
-* '''November 25, 2025''': Warner Music settles with Suno<ref name="techcrunch" />
-* '''December 24, 2025''': New protective order in UMG v. Suno<ref name="dynamo" />
-* '''April 6, 2026''': Magistrate Judge issues order on discovery disputes — Suno's requests to add Sony/UMG executives (Rob Stringer, Lucian Grainge) as custodians denied for lack of substantial need; plaintiffs' requests to expand Suno's collection dates to January 1, 2022, and add custodians including Helena Caldwell granted in part.<ref name="casemine">[https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/69d7ab2f64eb89b6c2004c31 Casemine: UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc. — Magistrate Order on Discovery Disputes, April 6, 2026]</ref>
-* '''April 23, 2026''': Parties submit dueling letters on Judge Hellerstein's denial of a motion to dismiss DMCA claims in the related ''Sony Music Entertainment v. Uncharted Labs'' (Udio) case, with Suno challenging the analysis while plaintiffs argue it supports their claims.<ref name="chatgptiseating">[https://chatgptiseatingtheworld.com/2026/04/23/parties-in-umg-recordings-v-suno-quibble-over-judge-helllersteins-denial-of-motion-to-dismiss-dmca-claim-in-suit-v-udio/ ChatGPTIsEatingTheWorld: Parties in UMG v. Suno Quibble Over Judge Hellerstein's Denial of Motion to Dismiss DMCA Claim]</ref>
-* '''April 2026''': UMG/Sony settlement talks with Suno stalled over fees/equity terms<ref name="dmn-settlement" />
-== Related Cases ==
+== See Also ==
+* [[News UMG Sony Suno Settlement Impasse April 2026|April 2026 — UMG/Sony Settlement Impasse with Suno]]
-* [[UMG Recordings Inc v Uncharted Labs Inc]] — Related litigation against Udio (partially settled)
+* [[News Major Labels Settle Suno Udio 2026|Major Labels Settle with Suno and Udio]]
-* [[News GEMA-v-Suno-2026|GEMA v Suno]] — German copyright proceedings (ruling expected June 12, 2026)
+* [[GEMA v Suno]]
-* [[News Major-Labels-Settle-Suno-Udio-2026|Major Labels Settle AI Music Lawsuits Against Suno and Udio]] — Settlement overview
+* [[UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Uncharted Labs, Inc.]]
-* [[BMG Rights Management v Anthropic PBC]] — Music-related AI copyright case
 == References ==
+<references />
-<references />
+</div>
+</div>
+<!-- /AILawWiki case sidebar v1 -->
 [[Category:Copyright Litigation]]