UMG Recordings Inc v Suno Inc
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| Case Name | UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Docket | 1:24-cv-11611 |
| Court | U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts |
| Filed | June 24, 2024 |
| Plaintiffs | UMG Recordings, Inc., Sony Music Entertainment, and other major record labels |
| Defendant | Suno, Inc. |
| Claims | Copyright infringement (mass-scale copying of copyrighted sound recordings); DMCA Section 1201 anti-circumvention claim[1] |
| Status | Active — Settlement impasse with UMG/Sony; Warner Music settled separately |
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.[1][2]
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.[2]
- August 25, 2026 — UMG and Sony file the amended complaint.[1]
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.
See Also
- April 2026 — UMG/Sony Settlement Impasse with Suno
- Major Labels Settle with Suno and Udio
- GEMA v Suno
- UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Uncharted Labs, Inc.