Elvis Presley and Eminem Rights Holders File Federal Lawsuits Against Suno
Artificial intelligence music generator Suno is facing two new federal lawsuits from the estate rights holders of Elvis Presley and the publisher of rapper Eminem over unauthorized training and voice mimicry. The legal actions allege that the venture-backed platform copied protected musical compositions without licenses to train generative algorithms that replicate iconic artist vocals and songwriting styles. The Presley action, structured as a 51-page complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, was brought by Authentic Brands Group and Raleigh Music Publishing. Court filings in the estate action allege that Suno copied 859 Presley compositions into its computational training datasets. The litigation specifically invokes Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act of 2024, which prohibits commercial artificial intelligence platforms from cloning vocal likenesses.
Eight Mile Style Statutory Infringement Allegations
Concurrently, music publisher Eight Mile Style initiated independent federal proceedings in San Francisco targeting unauthorized algorithmic outputs of Eminem's musical works. The Michigan-based publishing company controls administrative rights to hundreds of classic hip-hop recordings, including Lose Yourself, Without Me, and The Real Slim Shady. The recording artist Eminem is not personally named as a plaintiff in the corporate copyright action. In its legal complaint, Eight Mile Style is seeking statutory damages totaling more than $41 million from the technology firm. The monetary claim requests the statutory maximum of $150,000 for each of 269 distinct copyrighted compositions, alongside $672,000 for alleged removal of copyright management information.
Platform Defense and Record Industry Litigation
Both complaints share legal representation, arguing that the startup constructed commercial subscription services by mechanically appropriating human artistic catalogs. Plaintiffs argue that prompt filters represent an inadequate barrier if users can steer models toward recognizable artists using sound descriptions. Suno spokesperson Cat McCormack stated that the platform exists to assist creators in producing original music rather than trading on performer likenesses. McCormack stated that the service prohibits unauthorized uses, blocks artist names in text prompts, and screens uploaded audio with third-party filters. The startup has maintained that model training on publicly available audio recordings represents protected fair use under United States intellectual property doctrine.
The newest filings compound mounting legal pressures confronting Suno across the global recording industry. Major record labels Sony Music and Universal Music Group previously initiated federal litigation citing infringement across 60,202 recordings. In contrast, Warner Music Group chose to settle its dispute in November 2025 by entering a direct commercial licensing partnership. The generative music company recently achieved a private market valuation of $5.4 billion after securing $400 million in venture funding in June. Judicial determinations in the twin California actions will provide legal benchmarks regarding state publicity rights and generative audio training. Attorneys Richard Busch, Mark Block, David Niemierzycki, and Andrew Davis represent both the Elvis Presley rightsholders and Eminem's publisher in the California federal actions against Suno, according to Activate Press.