Sony Music Entertainment has filed a fresh lawsuit against the AI music generator Udio, accusing it of infringing the copyright of more than 30,000 songs. The list of tracks includes Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,” Beyoncé’s “Say My Name,” and Harry Styles’ “As It Was.”
Audio Fingerprinting and Discovery
The lawsuit, filed in a New York court, claims that the identified tracks represent only a fraction of the works Udio allegedly infringed. Sony reportedly used “audio fingerprinting” techniques to identify the additional songs after gaining access to Udio’s training data through the discovery process of a separate legal action.
Previously, Sony—alongside Universal Music Group (UMG) and Warner Records—had filed a lawsuit against Udio and another AI firm, Suno. When a judge rejected Sony’s motion to add these 30,000 songs to the original case, which remains limited to 333 works, the company opted to launch this new litigation to cover the full scope of the alleged infringement.
Legal Demands and Industry Context
Sony is seeking an injunction to block Udio from infringing its works and is asking for statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work. According to the filing, Udio has admitted that its generative models were trained on a vast array of sound recordings, including content sourced from platforms like YouTube.
This aggressive legal stance places Sony at odds with its major competitors. While UMG and Warner Music Group were part of the initial legal push against Udio, both companies have since settled their disputes and entered into partnerships with the AI firm, signaling a shift toward collaboration within the broader music industry.
