Sony files new lawsuit against AI music generator Udio over 30,000 songs

Sony Music Entertainment has escalated its legal battle against AI music generation, filing a new lawsuit in New York against Udio over copyright infringement of more than 30,000 songs. The list spans iconic tracks from artists like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Harry Styles. Sony claims Udio “copied and ingested” these works into its generative AI models without permission. The lawsuit follows a 2024 case where Sony, Universal Music Group, and Warner Records originally sued Udio and Suno. During discovery, Sony used an “audio fingerprinting” technique to identify additional infringed songs, but a judge rejected adding them to the original suit, prompting this standalone action.

Notably, UMG and Warner Music Group have since settled with Udio and are now partnering with the company as the music industry cautiously embraces AI. Sony, however, is taking a harder line, demanding up to $150,000 per work infringed and a permanent injunction against further infringement. The company asserts the 30,000 songs represent “only a small portion” of works Udio allegedly copied. This case highlights the growing tension between record labels and AI startups over training data, with potential implications for copyright law in the age of generative models.