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Udio Allegedly Copied Copyrighted Sound Recordings Without Permission to Train Its Generative AI Models

23 news reports Snapshot 7 Sep 2026

In brief

An AI system built by Uncharted Labs, Synthetic Media Generation Technology Developers and 2 others and deployed by Uncharted Labs, Synthetic Media Generation Technology Developers and 3 others allegedly harmed Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and 17 others.

Risk domain
Not classified
Occurred
Coverage
23 reportsJun 2024 - Aug 2026

What happened

Record labels and independent artists alleged that Udio copied copyrighted recordings without permission and used them to train its generative music models. Udio acknowledged that its training data presumably included recordings owned by the plaintiffs but argued the copying was fair use. Plaintiffs alleged losses of licensing control and compensation and competition from AI-generated music.

Laws that address this harm

No recorded instrument yet addresses this use case where it happened. See the open queue.

Matched from the record's risk domain and country to the instruments recorded here. A reviewer can correct the match in the repository (data/external/incident_overrides.yaml).

News reports (23)

Titles link to the original publisher; report text is not reproduced here.

  1. Music labels sue AI companies Suno, Udio for US copyright infringement
    reuters.com · Blake Brittain
  2. Musician Slaps Suno and Udio With Infringement Class Actions Over ‘Intentional Theft of Millions of Songs Created by Independent Artists’
    digitalmusicnews.com · Dylan Smith
  3. Suno and Udio hit with class action lawsuits from independent artist
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Mandy Dalugdug
  4. Universal Music Group settles with AI music startup Udio
    latimes.com · Wendy Lee
  5. Universal Music and AI song tool Udio settle lawsuit and partner on new platform, sparking backlash
    apnews.com · Kelvin Chan
  6. Warner Music Group and Udio Collaborate to Build a New Licensed Music Creation Service
    wmg.com · Warner Music Group
  7. Warner Music Group and AI startup Udio reach agreement in fight over copyrighted music
    latimes.com · Wendy Lee
  8. WMG settles Udio lawsuit, strikes licensing deal for ‘next-generation’ AI music platform coming in 2026
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Murray Stassen
  9. Sony Music moves to add more than 30,000 copyrighted recordings to its lawsuit against Udio
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Mandy Dalugdug
  10. Hagens Berman Joins Fight Against AI Music Generation Companies Udio and Suno Allegedly Engaged in Practices That Steal Independent Artists’ Online Music Content
    hbsslaw.com · Hagens Berman, Ash Klann, Samantha Wilson
  11. Suno’s latest legal opponent fought the tobacco industry – and won a quarter of a trillion dollars
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Mandy Dalugdug
  12. Judge denies Sony Music bid to add over 30,000 recordings to Udio lawsuit
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Mandy Dalugdug
  13. Sony Music sues Udio again, asserting over 30,000 recordings a judge barred the major from adding to its original case
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Murray Stassen
  14. Sony Music Entertainment files new lawsuit against AI startup Udio
    latimes.com · Wendy Lee
  15. Sony Escalates Legal Battle Against Udio With New $4.5 Billion AI Music Copyright Lawsuit
    lawcommentary.com · Camila Curcio
  16. Sony Music Files Another Lawsuit Against Udio, Alleges AI Music Generator Copied 30,000 Songs to Train Models
    variety.com · Corbin Bolies
  17. Sony Music Files Another Lawsuit Against Udio, Alleges AI Music Generator Copied 30,000 Songs to Train Models
    au.variety.com · Corbin Bolies
  18. Class Action Lawyers Fight for Indie Artists Exploited by Generative AI Training
    vice.com · Lauren Boisvert
  19. US musicians’ union files amended lawsuit against Universal and Warner over Suno and Udio AI deals
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Murray Stassen
  20. Music AI startups Suno and Udio slam record label lawsuits in court filings
    reuters.com · Blake Brittain
  21. Court declines to dismiss independent artists’ copyright class action against Udio – but moves the case from Illinois to New York
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Murray Stassen
  22. UMG asks court to dismiss US musicians’ union lawsuit over Udio AI deal
    musicbusinessworldwide.com · Murray Stassen
  23. Udio Lawsuit News Today: 2026 Updates and What to Know
    lawfold.com · Owen Parker

Who was involved

Alleged harmed party
Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Songwriters, Record Labels, Musicians, Intellectual Property Rights Holders, Independent Artists, Copyright Holders, Tony Justice, David Woulard, Stan Burjek, James Burjek, Berk Ergoz, Hamza Jilani, Maatkara Wilson, Arjun Singh, Magnus Fiennes, Michael Mell

Classification (MIT AI Risk Repository taxonomy)

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Source record: incident #1656 on the AI Incident Database · all 23 reports