Anthropic Sued for Using Elvis Presley Music to Train AI Models
Elvis Presley’s music rights holders have sued Anthropic, alleging it used 274 of his songs to train its AI models without permission. The case adds to a growing series of copyright disputes over the material used to train generative AI systems.
The suit names Authentic Brands Group and other rights owners as plaintiffs, and cites songs including “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “A Little Less Conversation” and “Don’t Be Cruel”. It alleges Anthropic’s Claude continued to produce material resembling copyrighted songs despite safeguards, and seeks $150,000 for each song allegedly infringed. Anthropic had not responded to a request for comment.
In short
- Elvis rights holders allege Anthropic used 274 songs without permission.
- The lawsuit seeks $150,000 per allegedly infringed song.
- The case follows other copyright claims against Anthropic.
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The case for
Rights holders can argue that training on songs without permission uses valuable creative work to build commercial products, potentially weakening licensing markets and depriving songwriters and owners of control over how their work is used. They may also contend that safeguards are inadequate if a model can generate material resembling protected songs, and that damages are needed to uphold copyright and encourage licensing.
The case against
Anthropic could argue that training a model analyses patterns in works rather than republishing the songs, and that this kind of use may be legally distinct from distributing copies. It could also argue that the complaint’s claims about output similarity need to be tested song by song, while broad liability or damages could restrict useful AI development and impose costs beyond any proven harm.
Explained simply
Elvis Presley was a singer whose recordings and songs remain valuable long after his death. Rights to his music are managed by companies and other owners, including Authentic Brands Group, which represents his estate’s brand interests.
Companies train generative AI systems such as Anthropic’s Claude on large collections of material so they can respond to prompts. Copyright law governs how music and other creative work may be copied and used; disputes like this ask whether training an AI on protected work needs permission and whether its outputs can infringe those rights.
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