Round Hill Music Sues Suno and Anthropic Over Alleged Copyright Infringement

Round Hill Music, an independent publisher that controls rights to songs such as Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” filed a federal lawsuit in California against AI companies Suno and Anthropic. The complaint alleges that the firms scraped hundreds of recordings—initially listing 500 songs, with plans to amend the count to at least 10,000—to train their generative models without obtaining licenses, violating the Copyright Act. Round Hill seeks damages that could reach “hundreds of millions of dollars” and possibly exceed $1 billion, and it has requested a jury trial.

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The suit follows a wave of litigation targeting AI developers that use copyrighted music to improve voice-synthesis and generative-audio products. Suno has previously faced lawsuits from Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony Music, settling with Warner Music Group last year. Suno recently entered a licensing agreement with BMG, but Round Hill has signaled it will not pursue settlement.

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He framed licensing as essential protection for rights owners rather than an obstacle to innovation. Representatives for Suno and Anthropic declined to comment at the time of filing.

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• Songs cited in the initial complaint: 500 (to be expanded to >= 10,000).

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• Potential damages sought: “hundreds of millions of dollars” with an upper bound that may “approach or exceed $1 billion.”

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• “The question in these cases is not complicated,” — Richard S. Busch, lawyer for Round Hill Music

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Round Hill’s demand for a jury trial indicates the publisher intends to pursue litigation rather than negotiate licensing deals, setting the stage for further court battles that could shape how AI companies source and use copyrighted music.

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