Independent music publisher Round Hill Music has filed a federal lawsuit in California against Suno and Anthropic. They allege that the AI companies copied its catalog without authorization to train their AI systems. The publisher controls rights to more than 10,000 works. This includes the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
Copyright Damages May Surpass $1 Billion
The complaint identifies 500 songs it says were improperly taken. However, Round Hill says it will expand that list to at least 10,000. It argues the alleged copying breaches the Copyright Act and could result in damages of hundreds of millions of dollars, potentially reaching or surpassing $1 billion.
Safeguards for Creators, not a Barrier to Innovation
CEO Josh Gruss said the company isn’t opposed to AI itself, but objects to firms building billion-dollar businesses on creators’ work without compensating them. He framed licensing as a safeguard for rights holders, not a barrier to innovation.
Neither Anthropic nor Suno has commented on Round Hill’s lawsuit.
This case adds to a growing pile of legal challenges from the music industry. All three major labels (Warner Music Group, Sony, and Universal) are suing Suno, although it reached a settlement with Warner last year. Just last week, it signed a licensing deal with BMG, which had earlier sued Anthropic, accusing it of widespread, systematic infringement.
Round Hill Requests Jury Trial
Unlike some of its peers, Round Hill is requesting a jury trial. The music publisher says it isn’t currently inclined to settle or license. Its attorney, Richard Busch, who won the well-known “Blurred Lines” case for Marvin Gaye’s estate, said the legal question is straightforward. Anthropic is reportedly now worth over a trillion dollars. He argued that valuable companies were built on copyrighted works while songwriters and publishers received nothing, and that such use can’t be considered fair.