Elvis Presley estate shakes up licensing, copyright lawsuit against AI music generator
Rock musician Elvis Presley performs June 27, 1968. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Rock star Elvis Presley’s estate and music rights holders sued artificial intelligence music generator Suno on Friday in a California court for unlawfully using the entertainer’s name, image and likeness and infringing on copyrighted material.
The plaintiffs, consisting of exclusive rights holders with control of Presley’s music, name, image and copyrighted works, claimed that Suno violated Tennessee’s Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security Act, known as the ELVIS Act. The law is designed to protect performers from unauthorized use of their voices and likeness, which includes AI-generated imitations. The plaintiffs also accused Suno of rampant copyright infringement.
“The name, image, likeness and music of Elvis Presley are among the most valuable intellectual property assets in the world. We protect those rights vigorously,” Lark-Marie Antón, a representative for the plaintiffs, told Courthouse News Service.
In the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the plaintiffs produced numerous exhibits containing nearly 50 recorded examples that they said infringe on Presley’s likeness and their copyrights. They are seeking damages and an injunction to stop Suno from additional infringement of works and are requesting the platform destroy unauthorized copies, including those in datasets.
“We do not allow prompts for specific artists’ names and songs and work with third-party providers to screen uploaded audio files and lyrics for potential misuse. We are always working to strengthen our guardrails, and we will continue to add new safeguards that protect artists and our users,” Suno said in a statement.
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