Sony sues AI music generator Udio for copyright infringement

Sony Music Entertainment has filed another lawsuit against AI music generator Udio, accusing the service of infringing the copyright of more than 30,000 of its songs. The list of allegedly infringed works includes tracks such as Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog," Beyoncé's "Say My Name," and Harry Styles' "As It Was."

The lawsuit, filed in a New York court, states that this collection represents "only a small portion of Plaintiffs' works that Udio infringed." This legal action follows an earlier suit filed in 2024 by Sony, alongside Universal Music Group and Warner Records, against Udio and fellow AI music creator Suno.

After gaining access to Udio's training data through legal discovery, Sony claims the AI model was trained without authorization on recordings owned by Sony Music. The company alleges that Udio has subsequently been able to generate music that mimics or incorporates parts of Sony's copyrighted songs without proper licensing.

The case is part of a broader industry discussion regarding the use of AI in creative fields and the protection of intellectual property rights in the digital age. Major music labels and artists are increasingly concerned about how AI technologies might infringe on copyrights and impact the economic structure of the music industry.

This litigation is expected to help clarify legal boundaries and standards for the training of AI models on copyrighted material, particularly within the music sector. The outcome could have significant implications for the future development and application of AI technologies.