The estates of Elvis Presley and the publisher of several Eminem tracks have filed lawsuits against Suno, a company that lets users generate music with artificial intelligence. The complaints say Suno’s system reproduces the two artists’ vocal styles and lyrics without any license. The Presley case points to Tennessee’s ELVIS Act – a law that makes it illegal for an AI service to clone a singer’s voice – as the basis for the claim. Suno says it blocks prompts that name specific artists and uses third‑party tools to scan uploads for misuse, but the lawsuits argue those safeguards are insufficient.
What the lawsuits allege
According to the filing, Suno “mechanically encoded itself with artists’ identities, hard‑work, creativity, and time” and then sells the output as a “conveyor belt of cold hard cash.” The complaints echo a similar case filed in September by folk‑rock singer Jason Isbell and others, which accused Suno of making imitations but did not focus on copyright infringement. In the new suits, the plaintiffs also argue that the AI tool threatens human creativity by replicating songs in seconds, a process that normally takes years of practice.
Suno’s response and broader legal pressure
Suno spokesperson Cat McCormack told The Verge that the company’s mission is to help people create original music, not to profit from anyone’s name or likeness. She said Suno “prohibits any unauthorized use of an artist’s work,” blocks prompts that mention specific artists, and works with third‑party providers to screen audio files and lyrics. The company adds it is continuously improving “guardrails” to protect both artists and users. Suno already faces lawsuits from Sony, Universal Music Group, Reservoir Media, Isbell’s team and others, making the legal battle a growing challenge for AI music generators.
Why it matters
If the courts rule against Suno, AI music tools may have to add stricter checks before allowing users to imitate famous singers. That could limit the ease of creating celebrity‑style tracks, protecting artists’ earnings but also reducing the range of experiments hobbyists can try.
