Elvis Presley rights holders and Eminem's publisher sue Suno over AI imitation of artists

A group of rights holders to Elvis Presley's music and the publisher of a range of major Eminem recordings have filed a lawsuit against Suno, the operator of an AI music generation tool. The plaintiffs claim that Suno illegally generates music and lyrics that imitate these artists. Lawyers representing the Presley rights holders state that Suno violated Tennessee's ELVIS Act (Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security), which prohibits AI companies from cloning a singer's voice.

According to the source, the lawsuit claims that "Suno mechanically programmed itself with the identities of artists, their work, creativity, and time, and used them as an uninterrupted conveyor belt for ready cash," and that Suno is attempting to replace human creativity through fast, unlicensed replication of what took artists years to master. According to the source, the lawsuit resembles one filed in September by Jason Isbell and others — that one also claimed that Suno creates imitations of the plaintiffs, but did not directly allege copyright infringement.

Suno spokesperson Cat McCormack told The Verge that Suno exists to create new, original music, not to use the name or likeness of artists, and that the company prohibits unauthorized use of artists' work. According to the statement, the company does not allow prompts with specific artist and song names and works with third parties to screen uploaded audio and lyrics against misuse; the company states that it continues to work on strengthening these protections.

The new lawsuit adds to a series of other lawsuits Suno is currently facing from Sony, UMG, Isbell, Reservoir Media, and others.