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Elvis catalog owners sue Anthropic over training of Claude
The Los Angeles Times reports rights holders to 274 Elvis Presley songs sued Anthropic in San Francisco federal court, alleging the songs were used to train Claude without a license; an Anthropic spokesperson said the company disagrees and will defend the case.
Partnerships that control rights to 274 Elvis Presley songs sued Anthropic in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Friday, alleging the company used the catalog without permission to train its Claude models2.
The Los Angeles Times, citing the complaint, said the songs include All Shook Up, Can't Help Falling in Love, Don't Be Cruel and Return To Sender, and that the plaintiffs say Anthropic paid nothing for capturing them to improve Claude2. Techmeme summarized a New York Times account of the same suit as covering 274 songs and seeking more than $41 million1.
James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times wrote that lawyers for the Presley plaintiffs are seeking roughly $50 million in damages plus court costs and attorneys' fees2. Billboard, as cited by the Times, said Authentic Brands Group initiated the lawsuit with other rights entities2.
The complaint, as described by the Times, alleges Anthropic stored the songs in a lasting general-purpose library from which copies were taken to train later Claude models, and that Claude users can produce songs that stay close to the originals2. The filing also contends Anthropic was on notice that it was accessing copyrighted material and continued2.
An Anthropic spokesperson said Sunday, "We disagree with the claims and intend to defend this case fully"2. Techmeme likewise said Anthropic disagrees and will defend itself1.
Plaintiffs' lawyers noted at least half a dozen other suits in the same San Francisco court over musical compositions allegedly used to train AI systems2. Whether a court will treat model training on copyrighted songs as infringement, and how damages will be calculated, remains unresolved1,2.
Sources
- TechmemeElvis Presley's rightsholders sue Anthropic over 274 songs allegedly used to train its models, seeking $41M+; Anthropic says it disagrees and will defend itself (Derrick Bryson Taylor/New York Times)
- Los Angeles Times CaliforniaElvis Presley catalog owners sue Anthropic alleging copyright infringement
How it’s being reported
2 sources
Elvis Presley's rightsholders sue Anthropic over 274 songs allegedly used to train its models, seeking $41M+; Anthropic says it disagrees and will defend itself (Derrick Bryson Taylor/New York Times)
The scale of the catalog (274 songs), a damages figure above $41 million, and Anthropic's denial.
Roundup pointing to a New York Times report that Elvis rightsholders sued Anthropic over 274 songs used in training, seeking more than $41 million, and that Anthropic said it disagrees and will…
Leaves out Court venue, named songs, Authentic Brands Group, and other pending music-training suits described by the Los Angeles Times.
Elvis Presley catalog owners sue Anthropic alleging copyright infringement
The complaint's infringement theory, named hits, a roughly $50 million damages request, and other pending music-AI suits in the same court.
James Rainey reports partnerships that control 274 Elvis songs sued Anthropic in San Francisco, alleging unpaid use of the catalog to train Claude, and that a spokesperson said the company disagrees…
Leaves out The more-than-$41-million figure highlighted on Techmeme.