German Court Orders Suno to Pay Damages in GEMA Copyright Case Over 95,000 Members' Works
Updated
Updated · Music Business Worldwide · Jul 31
German Court Orders Suno to Pay Damages in GEMA Copyright Case Over 95,000 Members' Works
3 articles · Updated · Music Business Worldwide · Jul 31
Summary
Munich Regional Court ruled Suno was not entitled to use music represented by GEMA, ordering the AI music company to disclose revenue and pay damages in a first-instance decision.
GEMA sued in January 2025, alleging Suno used, stored and reproduced copyrighted recordings to train its model without licenses or payment; at a March hearing, it said outputs matched originals in melody, harmony and rhythm.
Suno said it disagrees with the ruling, called it a mischaracterization of how its technology works, and is weighing options including an appeal.
The case targets GEMA's core business of licensing playable music tracks and follows the same Munich court's November 2025 ruling largely favoring GEMA against OpenAI over song lyrics.
The setback adds to wider legal pressure on Suno, which raised more than $400 million at a $5.4 billion valuation in June and still faces claims from Universal, Sony and Denmark's Koda.
Will GEMA's landmark victory force global AI music generators to abandon the European market entirely?
Could GEMA’s newly launched paid dataset suggest this lawsuit is actually about controlling the AI training market?
How will courts calculate damages when an AI generates a song that merely sounds similar to a copyrighted hit?
Munich Court Orders Suno to Halt AI Music Training on 6 Hit Songs: Landmark 2026 Ruling Sets Global Copyright Precedent
Overview
In July 2026, the Munich Regional Court ruled that Suno Inc., a US-based AI music generator, infringed on GEMA’s copyrighted works by training its AI on unlicensed music and reproducing songs through its platform. GEMA’s evidence showed Suno memorized and recreated protected tracks, and Suno admitted using specific songs in its training data. The court issued an injunction, ordered Suno to disclose revenues, and required damages, with immediate enforcement in Europe. Suno disagreed and considered appeal, while similar lawsuits and settlements unfolded globally. The ruling signals that AI music platforms in Europe must now license catalogs, likely raising user costs and shaping the future of AI and copyright law.