Suno Acknowledges Using Copyrighted Music to Train AI Models, Claims Learning from Experience Does Not Violate Copyright Laws

Recently, music artificial intelligence company Suno published a blog post on August 1 in response to lawsuits filed by the three major record labels. Suno acknowledged that its AI models were trained using music content from these labels, but asserts that this practice falls under the principle of fair use and is, therefore, legal.

On June 24, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued Suno and another music-generating startup, Udio, accusing them of using copyrighted music from Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music without authorization for AI training.

In its response, Suno stated that while it trained its AI models on millions of records, some of which included content from the aforementioned labels, this usage complies with the fair use doctrine under U.S. copyright law. Suno also accused the record labels of abusing their copyright claims.

Suno's legal documents clarify that copyright law allows for the reproduction of protected works for internal technological purposes, as long as these reproductions are not disseminated to the public or used commercially. The company emphasized that there has not been a contrary ruling in the 233 years since U.S. copyright law was enacted in 1791, asserting that the production of "intermediate" copies of protected works is permissible.

On the same day the legal documents were filed, Suno CEO Mitch Shulman posted a blog entry further explaining, "We train our models using high-quality music found on the open internet. While some of this content may contain copyrighted materials, utilizing resources from the open internet for educational purposes is fundamentally no different than children listening to rock music and then creating their own songs. Learning itself does not constitute infringement."

This ongoing legal battle highlights the complex intersection of AI technology and copyright law, raising important questions about the future of music generation and digital creativity.