Suno AI Faces Legal Challenges Over Artist Likenesses, Copyright Infringement

Suno AI is facing significant legal action from the estates of legendary artists Elvis Presley and Eminem, accused of copyright infringement and unauthorized use of their likenesses. The plaintiffs claim the AI platform has exploited their identities, allowing users to create music that imitates these icons without consent, according to TOI Entertainment.

In sweeping lawsuits filed in federal court, Presley’s estate alleges that Suno AI built a multi-billion-dollar enterprise by scraping legacy catalogues and offering a "conveyor belt" of unauthorized vocal and stylistic imitations. The 51-page filing accuses the platform of violating Tennessee’s Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, a 2024 law designed to prevent AI companies from cloning singers’ voices. The suit seeks unspecified statutory and punitive damages for the app’s alleged ability to generate tracks matching Presley’s "rich vocal timbre."

Similarly, Eminem’s music publishers accuse Suno AI of copyright infringement involving approximately 269 musical compositions, including hits like ‘Lose Yourself,’ ‘Without Me,’ and ‘The Real Slim Shady.’ Their claims include the removal of digital rights information, seeking maximum statutory damages of USD 150,000 per work, along with an additional USD 672,000 for CMI violations, bringing total demands to roughly USD 41 million. A filing from the publishers stated that the generative company has "mechanically encoded itself with artists’ identities, hard work, creativity, and time, and harnessed them all for a consistent conveyor belt of cold hard cash."

Suno AI has denied all allegations from both Elvis Presley’s estate and Eminem’s music publishers. The platform stated that it "exists to help people create new, original music, not to trade on anyone’s name or likeness." It also affirmed a prohibition on unauthorized use of an artist’s work, stating that it does not allow prompts for specific artists’ names and songs, and works with third-party providers to screen uploaded audio files and lyrics for potential misuse. Suno AI indicated it is continually strengthening its guardrails and adding new safeguards to protect artists and users.

This legal action follows similar lawsuits filed by Elvis Presley’s estate against Anthropic and Meta, alleging that 274 songs from Presley’s catalogue were used to train their AI chatbot without permission. In that case, the estate is seeking USD 48.6 million in damages and has requested platforms cease using his songs and infringing copyrights. The resolution of these ongoing lawsuits could redefine the parameters of generative AI in the music industry.

What to watch: The ongoing legal proceedings and their impact on AI music development.

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