Sony Music sues AI generator Udio for alleged copyright infringement of 30,000 songs
Sony Music has filed a new lawsuit against AI music generator Udio, alleging the unauthorized use of over 30,000 copyrighted sound recordings to train its generative models.
1. New Legal Action Against Udio
Sony Music Entertainment has initiated a new lawsuit against the AI music generator Udio, alleging that the platform infringed upon the copyrights of more than 30,000 sound recordings. The legal filing, submitted to a New York court on July 20, 2026, claims that the company’s generative AI models were built by ingesting a vast array of copyrighted material without authorization.
2. Scope of the Alleged Infringement
The list of affected works cited in the lawsuit includes high-profile tracks from artists such as Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Johnny Cash, and Harry Styles. Sony asserts that these 30,000 songs represent only a fraction of the total copyrighted works it believes Udio has utilized to train its AI models. According to the filing, Sony identified these specific recordings through an "audio fingerprinting" technique after gaining access to Udio’s training data during the discovery phase of previous litigation.
3. History of the Legal Dispute
This latest action follows a 2024 lawsuit in which Sony, alongside Universal Music Group and Warner Records, sued both Udio and the AI music platform Suno for copyright infringement. During that process, Sony attempted to add the 30,000 songs to the original case, but a judge rejected the motion, limiting the scope of that initial lawsuit to 333 works. By filing this separate, new lawsuit, Sony is now seeking to address the broader scale of the alleged infringement.
4. Industry Shifts and Settlements
While Sony continues its legal battle, other major players in the music industry have moved toward resolution. Both Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have reached settlement agreements with Udio and have since entered into partnerships with the company. These developments highlight a broader trend of the music industry navigating the integration of generative AI, with some companies opting for licensing deals while others pursue litigation to protect their intellectual property.