Source: Variety

Elvis Presley music rightsholders and Eight Mile Style, the publisher of many Eminem songs, have brought separate federal lawsuits against AI music generator Suno. The Presley plaintiffs include Authentic Brands Group and Raleigh Music Publishing, which filed their case in the Northern District of California. The Presley complaint alleges copyright infringement and unauthorized exploitation of Presley’s identity through songs generated using Suno. The Presley plaintiffs also allege a violation of Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, citing generated tracks that allegedly reproduce characteristics of Presley’s voice without permission. Eight Mile Style separately alleges that Suno enables users to generate songs and lyrics that reproduce elements of Eminem’s recordings.

Eminem is not personally participating in Eight Mile Style’s lawsuit. Both complaints include examples of generated material that allegedly resembles Presley’s singing or replicates lyrics from Eminem’s work. A Suno spokesperson said the company prohibits unauthorized use of artists’ work and blocks prompts naming specific artists and songs. The spokesperson also said Suno uses third-party providers to screen uploaded audio and lyrics for potential misuse and continues to develop safeguards. A related lawsuit led by Jason Isbell alleges that users can circumvent Suno’s restrictions to exploit musicians’ identities; Suno has denied those allegations and argued in court that requesting a song in an artist’s style is not unlawful.