Anthropic faces lawsuit over Elvis Presley songs allegedly used in AI training

The owners of 274 songs made famous by Elvis Presley have sued Anthropic, alleging that the company used the copyrighted music to train its AI models without permission. They are seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages, according to TechRadar, which reported the lawsuit.

The complaint also alleges that Claude could generate material closely resembling existing Elvis songs, even after Anthropic introduced safeguards intended to prevent infringement. Requests to recreate songs for modern audiences allegedly produced versions that retained recognizable elements of the originals.

Anthropic disputes the allegations and says it intends to defend the case. AI companies have argued that training on copyrighted works can qualify as fair use, but courts are still considering the issue. The lawsuit raises a separate question about whether a system reproduces protected expression, rather than simply learning patterns from existing material.

The case adds to legal challenges over the use of copyrighted music in AI. Music publishers have sued Anthropic over alleged use of song lyrics, while record labels have challenged AI music generator Suno. The Elvis case focuses on songs associated with one of music’s best-known performers, who died nearly 50 years ago.

TechRadar’s Eric Hal Schwartz argues that the dispute highlights the need for AI companies to take copyright seriously. The lawsuit’s allegations have not been established in court.