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Sony Music sues Udio again, asserting over 30,000 recordings a judge barred the major from adding to its original case
Music Business Worldwide • • technology
Key Points:
- Sony Music Entertainment has filed a second copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music company Udio, alleging unauthorized use of 30,117 sound recordings to train its generative AI models.
- The new complaint follows a June 29 court ruling that denied Sony's request to add these recordings to its original case but affirmed Sony's right to pursue damages and stop infringement through separate legal action.
- Sony claims Udio obtained many recordings by "stream ripping" from YouTube, circumventing technological protections, and accuses Udio of unlawfully copying copyrighted works before later seeking licensing deals.
- Unlike Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, which have settled licensing agreements with Udio, Sony has declined to settle and is seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work plus injunctions.
- Udio, launched in April 2024 by former Google DeepMind researchers, is accused of aggressively pursuing dominance in AI music generation while disregarding copyright laws, with similar lawsuits also targeting its rival Suno.
