Anthropic Sued by Elvis Presley Estate for Copyright Infringement Over AI Training Data

Lawsuit Filed Against Anthropic

Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to Elvis Presley's music and likeness, has filed a lawsuit against AI company Anthropic. The suit alleges that Anthropic used 274 of Presley's songs to train its artificial intelligence models without obtaining the necessary permissions. The lawsuit was reported by Billboard and filed on Friday.

Allegations of Copyright Infringement

The lawsuit claims that Anthropic's AI model, 'Claude,' has generated infringing output from copyrighted material, including virtually every song available on the internet. Specifically, it accuses Anthropic of utilizing 274 Presley songs, such as 'Can’t Help Falling in Love' and 'All Shook Up,' for training purposes. The plaintiffs are seeking $150,000 for each infringed track, amounting to approximately $41 million.

Broader Implications for AI and Music

While AI firms have faced copyright claims from organizations like the RIAA and major music labels, this case is significant as it represents one of the first major legal challenges brought directly by an artist's estate. The outcome could establish a precedent for how AI companies are permitted to use existing music catalogs for training their models. Musicians have expressed concerns about their work being used without permission and the potential for AI-generated music to impact human-made songs.

Accusations of Willful Infringement

The lawsuit further states that Anthropic's implementation of 'guardrails' to limit infringing outputs, even if ineffective, demonstrates knowledge of copyright infringement. The plaintiffs argue that Anthropic knowingly engaged and continues to willfully engage in copyright infringement of musical works, despite being aware of the issues.