Does technological innovation justify using other people’s work without permission?
The record labels’ lawsuit
The lawsuit filed by the three major record labels (Sony, Universal and Warner) against the AI music platforms Suno and Udio leaves a very clear lesson: technology does not get a free pass to ignore intellectual property.
The accusation is direct: training algorithms on millions of protected songs without paying for licenses or asking for permission. To us, that is not “inspiration”: it is the commercial exploitation of someone else’s property.
The first ruling: Munich
The Munich Regional Court ruled against Suno in the case brought by GEMA, the German music rights collecting society, for training its model on songs from its repertoire without authorization.
It is the world’s first landmark ruling against an AI company for copyright infringement in music. Beyond the penalties imposed, it exposes a new reality: the unauthorized use of repertoire at the training stage damages the value chain and infringes copyright from the very origin of the model.
Most importantly, it sets a precedent that will undoubtedly be debated and cited in courts around the world. It will not stay confined to this case or to Germany.
The question to ask yourself today
Whatever your jurisdiction, now is the time to ask: is my catalog protected against unauthorized use by AI?
Innovation is key, but it must be ethical: the future of music cannot be built by destroying the legal foundation that protects its creators. At Synowiec & Asociados we advise authors, labels, production companies and technology companies on protecting their music assets against unauthorized use by artificial intelligence, internationally.
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