Suno sued for theft of music
Danish copyright organisation KODA is suing SUNO for copyright infringement.
AI music service SUNO is getting sued for the theft of very specific works of art, including tracks such as "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, "Final Song" by MØ, "A Beautiful Life" by Christopher, "Sleeping My Day Away" by D-A-D, "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior, and "Sunshine Reggae" by Laid Back.
This is, according to a press release from KODA, based on "concrete evidence". While such a legal action seems less important due to the size of the organisation, it should be seen as a consequence of a similar law suit last year where RIAA representing such companies as Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group, sued SUNO and UDIO, also for copyright infringement.
For KODA, the key aspect is that the song-writers haven't given permission, or got any compensation.
"Artificial intelligence has great potential and can serve as an inspiring and creative tool. But in this case, a U.S. tech company has knowingly stolen Denmark's musical heritage and is now using it to build its own competing business. This is not innovation - it is the biggest music theft in history. It is illegal, and it threatens the economy of Danish music and our shared culture,"
Gorm Arildsen, CEO KODA.
According to KODA's own report, AI based music could cause revenue losses of 28% within the next five years, thus robbing the industry of much needed cash flow.
"It is completely unacceptable that it takes a lawsuit to make Suno and similar AI services pay for the music they use. If we want to continue having talented artists creating new Danish music in the future, we must protect our music industry and not leave it to cynical tech companies and their algorithms to shape and tell our story. There is an urgent need for political action to ensure that AI music services develop responsibly across the board. We need proper and responsible frameworks, fair payment to artists, and legislation that makes it crystal clear: when you use music to train artificial intelligence and offer an AI service on the market, you must pay for it," explains Nicky Trebbien, Legal and Policy Director.
