# Suno fights to make Apple testify on whether Apple Music could survive without UMG and Sony, claiming the majors use their catalogs ‘as a cudgel’ to win anti-AI concessions

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/suno-fights-to-make-apple-testify-on-whether-apple-music-could-survive-without-umg-and-sony-claiming-the-majors-use-their-catalogs-as-a-cudgel-to-win-anti-ai-concessions/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:47:52+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T09:49:23+00:00
- Original publisher: Music Business Worldwide
- Original article: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/suno-fights-to-make-apple-testify-on-whether-apple-music-could-survive-without-umg-and-sony-claiming-the-majors-use-their-catalogs-as-a-cudgel-to-win-anti-ai-concessions/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music, TV

## Key points

- Suno wants Apple questioned under oath in its copyright case.
- It says Apple Music matters to the labels’ claims about market harm.
- Apple disputes the relevance and scope of the requested testimony.

## Summary

Suno is asking a California federal court to require Apple to answer questions under oath in a copyright dispute with Universal Music Group and Sony Music. The AI music company says Apple Music is relevant because the labels claim AI-generated tracks are eroding their market share and diluting royalties on streaming services.

Suno still seeks live testimony on four topics: Apple’s licensing talks with the labels, whether Apple Music could operate without either catalogue, streaming fraud, and communications about Suno. It argues the evidence could support its fair-use defence, including whether AI music harms the market for original recordings. The labels’ first lawsuit covers 560 recordings and carries a theoretical maximum of about $84 million in damages; a second suit concerns 60,202 recordings, with a theoretical maximum above $9 billion. Apple says the requested topics are irrelevant, too broad and disproportionate.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.