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

Reservoir is the latest music company to sue Suno and Anthropic. In new lawsuits, it accuses the two artificial intelligence (AI) companies of using famous songs by Madonna, Johnny Cash and Joni Mitchell without permission to train their AI systems and “replace the artists.”

The independent music publisher filed two cases in federal court on Wednesday (Oct. 21). It claims that each company took its copyrighted songs without permission to build AI systems that can create new music. Reservoir says both companies “built its entire business model based on copyright infringement at a scale never seen before.”

In the lawsuits, Reservoir's lawyer Richard Busch writes that “Suno made illicit copies of millions of copyrighted musical works, including Reservoir’s Works, and then— without any remuneration to the rights holders — created a platform where anyone capable of paying $10 per month can create complete songs based entirely on these illicit copies.” The lawsuits were obtained and first reported by Billboard.

The lawsuits say the companies took “some of the most iconic lyrics and melodies in music history.” The songs named include Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” and Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach.” The cases also mention other songs by Glenn Miller, Kings of Leon, and Evanescence.

AI companies use millions of existing works to train their systems to create new material. This process has led to many lawsuits from authors, visual artists, movie studios and record labels. AI companies argue that they turn the original works into something new and that this is allowed under a legal rule called fair use. Human creators disagree. The legal fight is still unresolved, and billions of dollars in possible damages and licensing fees depend on its outcome.

Suno, the leading AI music company, has faced lawsuits for a long time from major music companies. More recently, it has also faced legal action from smaller publishers such as Round Hill Music and groups of individual musicians. Anthropic, the large AI company behind Claude, has faced many similar lawsuits in different industries, including ongoing cases brought by music companies.

Warner Music Group reached a settlement with Suno last year, ending its lawsuit. Suno has since made similar deals with BMG and Believe. Earlier this year, Suno introduced a new AI model that it described as a “partnership” with the music industry. But it has not convinced Universal Music Group or Sony Music. Both companies are still suing Suno in federal court and say the new model is still illegal.

In its new lawsuit filed Wednesday, Reservoir took a similar position against Suno. It strongly criticized the company for recently changing its approach and showing a “sudden willingness” to work with the music industry.

“Suno’s business model was admittedly and clearly: infringe now, make billions by being the first mover, and try to settle on the cheap later,” Busch writes in the complaint. “Seeking forgiveness is clearly more profitable than permission, which they obviously could have done but consciously chose not to do.”

Reservoir says the platform was “never meant to be a tool for artists to create music.” Instead, it says, the platform was always meant to replace the artists whose work was copied without permission. According to Reservoir, the company did this by offering AI-made substitutes that copy the original songs directly to the artists' listeners.

Representatives for Suno and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.