Anthropic sued over alleged use of Elvis Presley songs

Authentic Brands Group, which owns Elvis Presley’s music and likeness, has sued Anthropic for allegedly using 274 songs without permission to train its AI model, Claude. Filed on Friday, the lawsuit names works including Can’t Help Falling in Love, All Shook Up and A Little Less Conversation. The plaintiffs seek $150,000 per infringed track, or about $41m (about £31m).

The complaint alleges that Claude has generated infringing output involving copyrighted songs across online catalogues. It also claims Anthropic knew its safeguards were ineffective at preventing copyright violations and continued to engage in infringement. Those assertions form part of the plaintiffs’ allegation that the company’s business model relies on unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

The case is among the early major legal challenges brought directly by an artist’s estate against an AI developer, following copyright claims from the Recording Industry Association of America and major music labels. Its outcome could establish a broader precedent for the use of existing music catalogues in AI training, amid musicians’ concerns about unauthorized use of their work and voices.