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Elvis Presley’s Music Owners Sue Anthropic for Copyright Infringement, Demand Nearly $50 Million in Damages
Companies and rights holders who control Elvis Presley’s music have sued Anthropic, alleging that its Claude AI model was trained on 274 of his songs without permission. They are seeking $48.6 million in damages and an order requiring Anthropic to stop infringing their copyrights, adding to growing legal disputes over how AI models are trained.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Northern California by plaintiffs including Authentic Brands Group and Raleigh Music Publishing. It names songs such as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You”, “Run On” and “Farther Along”. Their lawyer argues that Anthropic’s stated support for social progress conflicts with its alleged use of copyrighted work for commercial gain; Anthropic says it disputes the claims and will defend itself. The company has also faced other copyright cases, including a $1.5 billion settlement with authors last year.
In short
- Presley rights holders allege Claude was trained on 274 songs without permission.
- They are seeking $48.6 million and an order to stop the alleged infringement.
- Anthropic says it disputes the claims and will defend the case.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The rights holders can argue that using songs to train a commercial AI without permission takes value from their work and weakens creators’ control over how it is used. Requiring permission or compensation could help sustain creative industries and establish clearer rules as AI develops.
The case against
Anthropic can argue that training a model on existing works is a distinct use from republishing or selling the songs, and that restricting it could impede research and useful AI tools. It may also contend that copyright law should distinguish between learning patterns from works and reproducing protected expression, with liability depending on the evidence and legal context.
Explained simply
Elvis Presley was a singer whose recordings and songs remain commercially valuable. Copyright gives the people or companies that control a song rights over how it is copied and used; different parties may control the recording and the underlying music or lyrics.
Anthropic is a technology company that makes Claude, an AI system trained on large collections of text and other material. AI training can involve copying works, raising disputes over whether permission is needed and how copyright law applies.
The case is part of a wider series of challenges by writers, musicians and other rights holders over the use of copyrighted work to train AI. Its outcome could help clarify the legal limits on that practice.
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