AI Music Startup Suno Loses Copyright Case in German Court
Key Takeaways
- •The Munich Regional Court determined that Suno infringed copyright by using GEMA-managed songs to train its AI and by reproducing protected works without authorization.
- •The ruling obligates AI companies to secure licenses for both training models on and generating music from GEMA's catalog.
- •Suno contends the decision rests on a misunderstanding of its technology and is weighing all legal options, including a possible appeal.
- •This judgment follows a separate Munich court ruling against OpenAI for reproducing copyrighted song lyrics, signaling that German courts are prepared to enforce existing copyright law against AI developers.
- •Suno also faces a federal copyright lawsuit in the United States brought by the Recording Industry Association of America on behalf of Universal, Sony, and Warner, while recently leaked source code indicated its training data included over 113,000 hours of YouTube Music content.
A German court has ruled against AI music startup Suno in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the music rights organization GEMA, which represents roughly 800,000 composers, lyricists, and music publishers in Germany.
According to a report by Variety, the Munich Regional Court found that Suno violated copyright law by using music from GEMA's catalog to train its AI models and by reproducing protected works without a license. The ruling requires AI companies to obtain licenses for the commercial use of GEMA's repertoire, covering both the training of AI models and the generation of music. The decision is among the first court rulings globally to address whether training AI on copyrighted sound recordings requires a license, a question also being litigated in the United States.
The lawsuit centered on six songs, including "Daddy Cool," "Rasputin," "Forever Young," and "Mambo No. 5." GEMA accused Suno of training its AI on copyrighted songs without authorization.
In a statement, Suno said it built its platform to help people create new music rather than reproduce existing songs. The company argued that the ruling rests on a misunderstanding of how its technology operates and confirmed it is evaluating its legal options, including a possible appeal.
"Our tools give people the ability to create new songs, whether they are top artists, product developers, songwriters using our tools in their workflows or everyday music fans," Suno said. "From the beginning, we trained our models to create new songs, not reproduce existing ones, and built protections into our platform. We disagree with today's ruling—which rests on a fundamental mischaracterization of how Suno's technology works, how it is used and how U.S. law applies—and are evaluating all available options, including an appeal."
The decision comes approximately eight months after GEMA won a separate copyright case against OpenAI, in which a Munich court ruled that ChatGPT unlawfully reproduced copyrighted song lyrics. Both rulings signal that German courts are prepared to hold AI developers accountable under existing copyright frameworks, potentially complicating operations for generative AI companies in one of Europe's largest markets.
The ruling also arrives amid mounting legal scrutiny over how Suno built its AI models. In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against Suno in June 2024 on behalf of major labels including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Records. Earlier this month, leaked source code revealed that the company's training data included more than 113,000 hours of YouTube Music, 62,000 hours from Pond5, and 12,000 hours from Deezer. The disclosures lent support to music industry claims that Suno trained its AI on copyrighted recordings without permission—allegations the company continues to contest in court.