GEMA sues Suno Inc. over AI-generated music training
GEMA, Germany's music rights collective, sued Suno Inc., a US AI music company, alleging that its system was trained on protected songs without authorization and generates music that closely resembles well-known originals while denying compensation to creators. The lawsuit is part of GEMA's broader campaign to establish fair compensation standards for AI music generation systems.
What happened
GEMA, the German music rights collective, filed a lawsuit against US company Suno Inc. at the Munich Regional Court I.
GEMA alleges that Suno's AI music generation tool was trained on protected recordings without authorization and generates content that closely resembles original songs including 'Atemlos,' 'Daddy Cool,' 'Mambo No. 5,' and 'Cheri Cheri Lady' in melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Reported impact
GEMA states that Suno profits financially from the generated music while composers, songwriters, and music publishers receive no compensation.
The generated AI content competes with original human-created works and undermines their economic viability, according to GEMA.
Index analysis
GEMA represents the copyright interests of approximately 95,000 members in Germany including composers, songwriters, and music publishers, as well as over two million rights holders worldwide.
The lawsuit follows GEMA's November 2024 action against OpenAI over unauthorized use of song lyrics and reflects GEMA's broader effort to address what it characterizes as systematic use of its members' repertoire for AI model training.
Governance controls
GEMA's Chief Tobias Holzmüller stated the lawsuit aims at ensuring 'fair treatment of authors and creators and their compensation.'
GEMA frames the action as part of a comprehensive strategy to establish copyright compliance and fair compensation practices in AI music generation.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.