'Stolen intellectual property': German court rules AI music generator Suno broke copyright rules

“This ruling sends a powerful international message: creativity has value, and creators’ rights must be respected in the age of artificial intelligence.”

AI music generator Suno, which allows users to generate songs via prompts, has lost a copyright infringement lawsuit to German licensing agency GEMA.

In the January 2025 filing, GEMA argued that Suno was using songs to train its AI models without obtaining any licenses or paying the artists.

The decision, handed down on Friday 31 July by the Munich Regional Court, ruled that Suno’s use of the songs was in breach of both the German and US copyright law, and that the AI platform unlawfully obtained, processed and reproduced music that was represented by GEMA.

“Today, the Chamber made one thing crystal clear: AI models built on stolen intellectual property have no protection under the law,” said GEMA’s CEO Dr Tobias Holzmüller after the legal victory (via Reuters). “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 centre.”

He added: “Through this decision, GEMA has set an important precedent not only for its more than 100,000 members, but for creators worldwide. 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.”

Suno will need to pay damages to GEMA. The sum has not yet been confirmed.

Previously, Warner, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group filed lawsuits against Suno and Udio for copyright violations. Surprisingly, the 2024 filing led to Warner settling the lawsuit by signing a licensing deal with Suno.