Jump to content

UMG Recordings Inc v Suno Inc: Difference between revisions

From AI Law Wiki
Create case page — broke circular redirect with UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc.
Tag: Removed redirect
Standardize researched case information in a responsive sidebar; correct parties, docket and dated procedural status
 
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%;"
<!-- 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;">
 
{| 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" />
|-
|-
! Case Name
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Docket
| UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc.
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | 1:24-cv-11611-FDS<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
|-
|-
! Docket
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Filed
| 1:24-cv-11611
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | June 24, 2024<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
|-
|-
! Court
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Judge(s)
| U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
| 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>
|-
|-
! Filed
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Plaintiffs
| June 24, 2024
| 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>
|-
|-
! Plaintiffs
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Defendants
| UMG Recordings, Inc., Sony Music Entertainment, and other major record labels
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Suno, Inc.; John Does 1–10<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
|-
|-
! Defendant
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Case type
| Suno, Inc.
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Civil copyright action<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
|-
|-
! Claims
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Claims / issues
| Copyright infringement (mass-scale copying of copyrighted sound recordings)
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Copyright infringement of sound recordings and DMCA § 1201 circumvention<ref name="case-record-c683ba9b55f8d227" />
|-
|-
! Status
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Status
| Active — Settlement impasse with UMG/Sony; Warner Music settled separately
| 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" />
|}
|}
</div>
<div class="ailaw-case-article" style="flex:1 1 28em;min-width:0;overflow-wrap:anywhere;">


'''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.
'''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.
Line 30: Line 44:
== Allegations ==
== 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 — 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.<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>


== Settlement Status ==
== Settlement Status ==
Line 38: Line 54:
* '''2025''' — Discovery and motion practice
* '''2025''' — Discovery and motion practice
* '''April 2026''' — Warner Music Group settles; UMG and Sony reach settlement impasse
* '''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" />


== Significance ==
== Significance ==
Line 50: Line 68:
== References ==
== References ==
<references />
<references />
</div>
</div>
<!-- /AILawWiki case sidebar v1 -->


[[Category:Copyright Litigation]]
[[Category:Copyright Litigation]]
[[Category:Cases Against Suno]]
[[Category:Cases Against Suno]]
[[Category:Music Industry]]
[[Category:Music Industry]]
[[Category:DMCA]]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
  • 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

[edit]

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.

See Also

[edit]

References

[edit]