{"id":747455,"date":"2026-09-19T09:22:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T06:22:44","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-09-19T09:22:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T06:22:44","slug":"universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal and Sony sue Suno again, this time over 60,202 recordings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af58bbd0c30d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af58bbd0c30d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#The_judge_effectively_told_them_to_file_it\" >The judge effectively told them to file it<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#What_the_labels_say_Suno_already_conceded\" >What the labels say Suno already conceded<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#Three_licensing_deals_are_the_labels_sharpest_weapon\" >Three licensing deals are the labels\u2019 sharpest weapon<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#Sunos_own_terms_ask_for_what_it_did_not_give\" >Suno\u2019s own terms ask for what it did not give<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#The_artist-name_switch\" >The artist-name switch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#What_it_could_cost\" >What it could cost<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#The_flood_is_the_market-harm_argument\" >The flood is the market-harm argument<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#Suno_is_worth_more_than_when_it_was_first_sued\" >Suno is worth more than when it was first sued<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/universal-and-sony-sue-suno-again-this-time-over-60202-recordings\/#It_is_not_the_only_front\" >It is not the only front<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.thenextweb.com\/2026\/09\/recording-studio-control-room-on-air.avif\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p>\u201cThe magnitude of the alleged infringement is not a defense,\u201d the court told Suno in August.<\/p>\n<p>Universal and Sony have now sued the AI music company a second time. They filed the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/files\/2026\/09\/26-cv-14275-Dkt.-1-Complaint.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">complaint<\/a> in the District of Massachusetts on Friday, as case 1:26-cv-14275.<\/p>\n<p>It asserts 60,202 sound recordings. The first case, filed in June 2024, is still running.<\/p>\n<p>The filing names twelve label entities, led by UMG Recordings and Sony Music Entertainment. Warner is not among them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_judge_effectively_told_them_to_file_it\"><\/span>The judge effectively told them to file it<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The labels first tried to fold the new recordings into the existing case. They moved to amend the original complaint to add more than 61,000 further works.<\/p>\n<p>A forensic analysis of Suno\u2019s training data had turned those up.<\/p>\n<p>Suno opposed that motion. On 18 August the court denied it without prejudice, mainly because amending would disturb the case schedule.<\/p>\n<p>The court did not question the claims themselves. The labels are \u201cof course entitled to pursue valid claims for copyright infringement\u201d, it wrote.<\/p>\n<p>It then pointed at the exit. Proceeding in \u201cparallel cases\u201d best balanced the labels\u2019 interests with judicial economy, the court concluded.<\/p>\n<p>The new complaint says the labels are doing exactly what the court contemplated.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_the_labels_say_Suno_already_conceded\"><\/span>What the labels say Suno already conceded<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The complaint leans on Suno\u2019s own answer in the first case. The labels say Suno acknowledged building its models \u201cby showing the program tens of millions of instances of different kinds of recordings\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Those recordings \u201cpresumably included recordings whose rights are owned by the Plaintiffs in this case\u201d, Suno said, according to the filing.<\/p>\n<p>What Suno would not do, the labels say, is name them. They commissioned the forensic analysis for that reason, and say it found millions of their works in the training corpus.<\/p>\n<p>Suno has not yet responded to the new complaint, which reached the docket on Friday.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Three_licensing_deals_are_the_labels_sharpest_weapon\"><\/span>Three licensing deals are the labels\u2019 sharpest weapon<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Suno has spent the past year signing the very agreements the labels say it should have sought first. The complaint lists three.<\/p>\n<p>Warner Music Group signed in November 2025, and the complaint calls it a \u201cformer plaintiff\u201d. BMG followed on 12 August, from a company the labels note had \u201cnever sued Suno\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Believe signed on 8 September to supply training data. Nine days later Suno launched v6 on licensed catalogue.<\/p>\n<p>The labels draw the obvious inference. Three agreements in under a year \u201cconfirm that a functioning market exists for licensing sound recordings to train generative AI models\u201d, the complaint says.<\/p>\n<p>Suno has tried to frame the deals differently. Chief product officer Jack Brody has said the revenue share is \u201cnot in exchange for training\u201d and that the deals are \u201cnot really about the data\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint quotes Mikey Shulman, Suno\u2019s co-founder and chief executive, saying the company \u201cwill be licensing works\u201d. It calls the deals \u201ca functioning licensing market, whatever nomenclature Suno adopts for litigation purposes\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sunos_own_terms_ask_for_what_it_did_not_give\"><\/span>Suno\u2019s own terms ask for what it did not give<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The filing turns Suno\u2019s contract with its users against it. Since January 2024 its <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/suno.com\/terms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">terms of service<\/a> have required every user to grant Suno a \u201cworldwide, non-exclusive, fully paid-up, sublicensable\u201d and \u201cirrevocable\u201d licence over anything they upload.<\/p>\n<p>That licence covers reproducing, storing, modifying and creating derivative works from user content. The labels say it shows Suno knew perfectly well that training on someone\u2019s audio needs permission.<\/p>\n<p>Demanding a licence upstream while taking commercial recordings for free, the complaint argues, makes the infringement \u201cknowing and willful\u201d. Willfulness is what unlocks the higher damages tier.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_artist-name_switch\"><\/span>The artist-name switch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Suno once blocked users from prompting it with the names of specific recording artists. Shulman cited that policy as proof the models were built to generate \u201ccompletely new outputs\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint says the block is gone. \u201cThis design feature turned out to be so fundamental that Suno simply switched it off,\u201d it reads, and users can now prompt with artist names through prompt augmentation.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint also quotes an early investor. \u201cIf we had deals with labels when this company got started, I probably wouldn\u2019t have invested in it,\u201d the investor told Rolling Stone.<\/p>\n<p>Suno, the investor said, \u201cneeded to make this product without the constraints\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_it_could_cost\"><\/span>What it could cost<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are three counts. Two are direct infringement, split between post-1972 recordings and pre-1972 ones protected under the Music Modernization Act.<\/p>\n<p>The third is circumvention. The labels say Suno \u201cstream ripped\u201d audio from <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, employing code to access, extract, copy and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download<\/a> files in breach of YouTube\u2019s own terms and of section 1201(a).<\/p>\n<p>The labels ask for up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement, plus up to $2,500 for each act of circumvention. Across 60,202 recordings the statutory ceiling alone runs past $9bn.<\/p>\n<p>They also want an injunction requiring Suno to stop circumventing YouTube\u2019s measures and to stop infringing, and they have demanded a jury.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_flood_is_the_market-harm_argument\"><\/span>The flood is the market-harm argument<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Fair use turns partly on market effect, and the labels have reached for numbers rather than adjectives.<\/p>\n<p>Deezer reported in July that AI tracks passed half of all daily uploads for the first time, roughly 90,000 a day, up from about 39% six months earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Suno has told investors its users generate a Spotify catalogue\u2019s worth of output every two weeks. The complaint also cites The Velvet Sundown, an AI act that reached over a million monthly Spotify listeners in summer 2025 before listeners learned it was machine-made.<\/p>\n<p>Shulman\u2019s own words do a lot of work in the filing. The complaint quotes him saying it is \u201cnot really enjoyable to make music now\u201d and that \u201cincreasingly taste is the only thing that matters in art and skill is going to matter a lot less\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Suno_is_worth_more_than_when_it_was_first_sued\"><\/span>Suno is worth more than when it was first sued<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The complaint sets out the company\u2019s finances in detail. Its latest round raised more than $400m at a $5.4bn valuation, against $2.45bn in autumn 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The labels say Suno makes hundreds of millions a year and projects $1bn in revenue by 2028. Its top subscription tier costs $24 a month.<\/p>\n<p>People who had worked together at Kensho Technologies founded Suno in July 2023. The company works out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Microsoft integrated it into Copilot that December.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"It_is_not_the_only_front\"><\/span>It is not the only front<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Sony ran the same play against Suno\u2019s closest rival in July, suing Udio a second time over 30,000 more songs.<\/p>\n<p>Europe has already produced a ruling. A German court found Suno broke copyright in a case brought by the collecting society GEMA.<\/p>\n<p>Shulman said in January 2025 that it seemed \u201csilly to throw a bunch of venture dollars at lawyers instead of sitting down and talking about how you could work together\u201d. The labels note he said it seven months after they sued.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/universal-sony-second-lawsuit-suno-60202-recordings\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe magnitude of the alleged infringement is not a defense,\u201d the court told Suno in August. Universal and Sony have now sued the AI music company a second time. They filed the complaint in the District of Massachusetts on Friday, as case 1:26-cv-14275. It asserts 60,202 sound recordings. The first case, filed in June 2024,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-747455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=747455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=747455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=747455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=747455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}