Sony Music Entertainment and nine affiliated record labels have filed a separate copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music company Udio, asserting the company copied more than 30,000 sound recordings without permission to train its generative models. The action follows a June court decision that prevented Sony from adding these same recordings to its existing lawsuit filed in June 2024, though the judge affirmed the company's right to pursue the claims independently.

The lawsuit alleges Udio obtained some recordings through automated extraction tools that circumvented YouTube's protections, and the company has acknowledged its training data included copyrighted material owned by the plaintiffs. While Udio has negotiated licensing agreements with Universal, Warner, and several other rights holders, Sony has declined to settle and remains the only major label without such an arrangement. The complaint characterises Udio's subsequent licensing as evidence of the company's initial unlawful conduct, and Sony is pursuing statutory damages of up to $150,000 per recording along with additional penalties for circumventing technological measures.