Elvis Rights Holders Sue Anthropic for $41.1 Million Over 274 Songs
Authentic Brands Group and other rights holders allege Claude was trained on Elvis Presley songs and can generate similar tracks without royalties.
Authentic Brands Group and other holders of rights to Elvis Presley's music filed a copyright lawsuit against Anthropic in the Northern District of California federal court on October 23, seeking up to $41.1 million in damages, according to inews24.com.
The plaintiffs allege that Anthropic copied and stored 274 Elvis Presley songs and used them to train its Claude AI model without permission from the rights holders. The suit names tracks including All Shook Up and Can't Help Falling in Love.
The complaint also claims that Claude users can generate songs similar to the originals without paying royalties. The plaintiffs are seeking up to $150,000 per song, an injunction against the alleged infringement and the destruction of unauthorized copies.
Anthropic said it disagrees with the claims and will defend itself actively.
Earlier music lawsuits
The case adds to a series of copyright disputes over AI training data. In January of this year, Universal Music, Concord Music Group and others sued Anthropic over song lyric copyright infringement, and Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell Music also have suits pending. Last year, Anthropic settled a copyright lawsuit with authors over the use of pirated books for AI training for $1.5 billion.
Quick answers
How much is Anthropic being sued for over the Elvis songs?
The plaintiffs seek up to $41.1 million in damages, or up to $150,000 per song for the 274 songs named.
Which songs are named in the lawsuit?
The suit cites Elvis Presley tracks including All Shook Up and Can't Help Falling in Love.
What does Anthropic say about the lawsuit?
Anthropic said it disagrees with the claims and will defend itself actively.