A court in Munich, Germany, has found that Suno, an artificial intelligence (AI) music generator, infringed copyright by training its models on protected works without a licence, a ruling that favours German performance rights organisation GEMA.
The Munich Regional Court delivered the ruling on Friday, July 31. It found that Suno had no right to use GEMA-represented music for AI training. The court said the platform violated German and US copyright law by using, storing and reproducing protected material without authorisation.
“Today, the Chamber made one thing crystal clear: AI models built on stolen intellectual property have no protection under the law,” Dr Tobias Holzmüller, GEMA’s CEO, said in a statement. “AI service providers must pay for licences rather than helping themselves to our members’ works free of charge. Today, the court’s verdict has significantly strengthened Europe’s position as a cultural centre.”
The court ordered Suno to pay damages, with the amount still to be determined. The decision also requires AI companies to obtain licences for systematic use and commercial exploitation of GEMA’s repertoire.
It is GEMA’s second court victory in the past year, following a November 2025 ruling against OpenAI, operator of ChatGPT, for violating European copyright laws.
Suno also faces other legal disputes, including an unresolved case with Universal Music Group (UMG) and Sony Music Entertainment (SME) over alleged mass copyright infringement.
