The AI music software Suno lost its copyright infringement lawsuit to the German licensing company GEMA this past Friday (July 31st), as reported by NME. The suit was originally filed in January of last year after GEMA accused Suno of using songs GEMA represented to train its AI models without first obtaining licenses for the songs or compensating songwriters. These songs included “Daddy Cool” by Boney M, “Forever Young” by Alphaville and “Mambo No. 5” by Lou Bega.
Last Friday, the Munich Regional Court ruled that Suno obtained and reproduced music from GEMA’s collection without permission and that Suno’s use of the songs violated Germany’s and the United States’ copyright laws. The AI company will now have to pay damages to GEMA, with the amount not yet being specified. The court’s decision also means any AI company will need to receive a license from GEMA first before using any of its music from now on.
“Today, the Chamber made one thing crystal clear: AI models built on stolen intellectual property have no protection under the law,” Dr Tobias Holzmüller, the CEO of GEMA, shared. “AI service providers must pay for licenses rather than helping themselves to our members’ works free of charge. Today, the court’s verdict has significantly strengthened Europe’s position as a cultural center.”
Dr Ralf Weigand, the GEMA Board chairman, celebrated the legal victory for sending a powerful message that “creativity has value, and creators’ rights must be respected in the age of artificial intelligence.”
“Through this decision, GEMA has set an important precedent not only for its more than 100,000 members, but for creators worldwide,” he continued. “The fact that we can now enforce our rights in countries including the United States gives creators hope and confidence at a time of profound technological transformation.”
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