AI music platform Suno is facing two new California lawsuits that could test both copyright claims over model training and protections for an artist’s recognizable voice. One case was brought by Elvis Presley rights holders, while a separate action comes from Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated, companies that administer rights to 269 songs associated with Eminem.
The Elvis complaint alleges that Suno used 859 compositions without permission and can generate tracks featuring a synthetic voice identifiable as Presley. The claim also invokes Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, a 2024 law that protects a person’s name, image and voice, including voice simulations attributable to an identifiable individual.
The next Elvis will not pick up a guitar.
Complaint filed by Elvis Presley rights holders
That lawsuit therefore goes beyond allegations about copying recordings or compositions. It raises the separate question of whether an AI service may produce a voice sufficiently recognizable as a deceased artist without authorization from the party controlling that artist’s identity rights.
Eminem-related case focuses on training data
Eminem is not a plaintiff in the second lawsuit. Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated allege that Suno copied 269 compositions for training and that some generated outputs reproduce lyrics and musical elements from the original works. The complaint also alleges data scraping and the circumvention of protection measures on online services.
- “Lose Yourself”
- “Without Me”
- “Till I Collapse”
- “The Real Slim Shady”
- “Stan”
For alleged willful copyright infringement, the companies seek statutory damages of up to US$150,000 for each of the 269 works, or US$40.35 million in total. They are also seeking damages tied to the alleged circumvention of protection systems and removal of copyright-management information. Those figures are claims sought by the plaintiffs, not damages awarded by a court.
Suno disputes that its service is designed to imitate artists. The company says it does not permit artist or song names in prompts and uses external systems to check user-uploaded audio files and lyrics. No ruling has been issued in either of the new cases, leaving the scope of potential liability for training practices and synthetic artist voices unresolved.
