Suno to Watermark AI Songs Amid Legal Battles
Suno, the AI music generation platform, has introduced new features for watermarking and fingerprinting tracks, restricting downloads, and revising community guidelines to curb imitation songs in light of ongoing lawsuits from record labels and artist organizations. CEO Mikey Shulman highlighted the importance of fostering original content while facilitating AI music production. Users who upload AI-generated music for profit will encounter audio watermarking. Additionally, Suno has partnered with Musixmatch for copyright detection. The updated guidelines ban "deceptive audio" and the unauthorized use of actual voices. After raising $400 million in June, Suno is embroiled in legal disputes, including a case with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group. A German court found Suno in violation of copyright laws, and a data breach in November 2025 affected 55 million users, resulting in a class action lawsuit.
Key facts
- Suno announced new tools to watermark and fingerprint AI-generated songs.
- The changes include limiting downloads and updating community guidelines.
- Suno faces lawsuits from labels and artist bodies.
- Co-founder and CEO Mikey Shulman shared core principles in a blog post.
- Suno will use audio watermarking and fingerprinting to prevent misuse on streaming platforms.
- Suno signed an agreement with Musixmatch to use its Sentinel system for copyright detection.
- Suno plans to add a new download policy to bar mass distribution on streaming platforms.
- Suno raised $400 million in a Series D funding round in June.
- Suno is in a lawsuit with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group coordinated by the RIAA.
- A German court ruled in favor of GEMA, saying Suno was breaking copyright rules.
- Suno experienced a data breach in November 2025, affecting 55 million users.
- The data breach revealed Suno scraped YouTube, Deezer, and Genius to train its models.
- Suno faces a class action lawsuit in Massachusetts over security oversight.
Entities
Artists
- Mikey Shulman
Institutions
- Suno
- Musixmatch
- Universal Music Group
- Sony Music Group
- Recording Industry Association of America
- GEMA
- TechCrunch
- 404 Media
- Have I Been Pwned
Locations
- Germany
- Massachusetts