The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) has filed a lawsuit against Suno, an AI music-generation and streaming platform, alleging widespread copyright infringement. SOCAN claims Suno trained its AI model on copyrighted music without permission and generates outputs that are identical or substantially similar to protected works. The lawsuit seeks damages including Suno’s profits, statutory damages of C$20,000 per infringed work, and C$10 million in punitive damages, according to medianama.com.
SOCAN’s complaint details that Suno obtained virtually all reasonable-quality music files available online through mass ingestion, copying, and processing without licenses. The lawsuit also states Suno invited users to upload additional digital music files, which were used to train the AI model. SOCAN alleges the AI can reproduce memorized works when prompted, allowing users and the public to access these outputs. The claim emphasizes that Suno’s commercial business model depends on this capability, seeking permanent injunctions and legal costs as part of the suit.
This lawsuit highlights growing legal challenges faced by AI companies using copyrighted content for training without authorization. Similar cases have emerged globally as rights holders push back against AI-generated content that may infringe on intellectual property. SOCAN’s action underscores the tension between AI innovation in music creation and existing copyright frameworks. The damages sought and injunction requests reflect the seriousness with which rights holders are addressing AI’s impact on creative industries.
The lawsuit filing and related documents were published by medianama.com on September 8, 2026, providing detailed allegations and the scope of damages SOCAN seeks from Suno. The case will test how copyright law applies to AI-generated music and could influence future regulatory and legal approaches in the sector.