Reservoir Sues Suno & Anthropic in Latest Lawsuits Over AI Music: ‘Meant to Replace the Artists’

Reservoir, an independent music publisher, has sued AI companies Suno and Anthropic, alleging they copied its songs to train systems that generate music. The cases add to a growing legal dispute over whether using copyrighted works to train AI is lawful and whether such systems compete with the artists whose work they learn from.

Filed in federal court on Wednesday, the lawsuits cite songs including Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach”, alongside works by Glenn Miller, Kings of Leon and Evanescence. Reservoir alleges Suno copied millions of works and offers song generation through a £10-a-month subscription; the article gives the price as $10. AI companies argue their training transforms existing works and is fair use, while rights holders challenge that claim. Suno has settled disputes with Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe, but Universal Music Group and Sony Music continue to sue.