German collecting society GEMA has won a copyright-infringement case against AI music platform Suno, in a ruling that could have major implications for how AI companies train music-generation models in Europe.
The Munich I Regional Court ruled in favour of GEMA, granting claims for injunctive relief, disclosure and damages. The case focused on six musical works, including Rasputin, Daddy Cool and Mambo No. 5.
The court found that the musical works were reproducibly contained in Suno’s AI models and could be extracted through generated outputs. It concluded that this amounted to copyright infringement under German law.
GEMA welcomed the decision, arguing that AI companies must obtain licences when using copyrighted music to train commercial systems. The organisation described the ruling as an important step in protecting songwriters and composers.
Suno, however, disagrees with the ruling and says it is considering an appeal. The company maintains that its models were designed to create new music rather than reproduce existing works.
The ruling could also influence the wider debate over AI training and copyright, particularly ongoing legal battles between Suno and major record labels in the United States. While the German decision does not directly determine those cases, it is likely to receive close attention from both sides.
The decision sends a significant message to the AI music industry: commercial AI systems may face serious legal and financial risks if copyrighted music is used for training without appropriate authorisation or licensing.
