Suno seeks Apple testimony in copyright case against UMG and Sony

RIGHTS AND REGULATION

Suno is opposing Apple’s attempt to block a deposition subpoena in a federal court in California. Apple is not a party to the case and argues that the requested topics are irrelevant, overbroad and disproportionate.

The dispute stems from the copyright lawsuit brought by Universal Music Group and Sony Music against Suno in Massachusetts, accusing the company of training its AI on the labels’ recordings without permission. The first case covers 560 recordings; a second action, filed in September, concerns another 60,202 recordings.

Suno is seeking live testimony on four areas: current licensing talks between Apple and the two majors, any assessment of Apple Music operating without one or both catalogs, streaming fraud on the service, and communications with the labels or the RIAA about Suno and the case.

Suno says these topics relate to its fair use and copyright misuse defenses. The company argues that the majors use catalogs described as essential to obtain anti-AI concessions from DSPs, while Apple stated in its own motion that it does not currently exclude AI-generated content from its royalty pool.

Source: Music Business Worldwide