Munich Court Rules AI Music Platform Suno Infringed Copyrights of GEMA Members

German performance rights organisation GEMA has achieved a significant court victory against US AI music platform Suno in a dispute over copyright infringement. The Munich Regional Court found that Suno breached both US and German copyright laws by training its AI systems on songs from GEMA’s repertoire in the United States, while also storing and reproducing those works in Europe.

GEMA argued that the exploitation and reproduction of musical works from its repertoire require proper licensing and that AI service providers must remunerate creators accordingly. Representing over 100,000 members including composers, lyricists, and music publishers, as well as more than two million rights holders worldwide, GEMA asserted that Suno’s use of its members’ works was unauthorized.

The lawsuit, filed on January 21, 2025, targeted Suno’s use of notable songs such as "Forever Young" and "Big In Japan" by Alphaville, "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" by Lou Bega, "Atemlos Durch Die Nacht" by Helene Fischer, and "Daddy Cool" and "Rasputin" by Boney M. Prior to litigation, Suno admitted to training its AI on these and other GEMA works without paying license fees but disputed the obligation to pay.

Evidence presented by GEMA demonstrated that Suno’s AI system stores and generates content closely matching the melody, harmony, and rhythm of the cited works. The court agreed that Suno must pay license fees for the systematic use and commercial exploitation of GEMA’s repertoire. Damages are to be determined.

This ruling follows GEMA’s earlier legal success in November 2025 against OpenAI, operator of ChatGPT, where the Munich Regional Court also ruled in GEMA’s favor. OpenAI has since appealed that decision to the Munich Higher Regional Court.

Suno has expressed disagreement with the ruling and is considering all options, including an appeal. A company spokesperson stated, "We built Suno around a core belief: to empower everyone to experience the joy of making music. Our tools create new songs rather than reproduce existing ones, and we have built protections into our platform. We disagree with today’s ruling – which rests on a fundamental mischaracterisation of how Suno’s technology works, how it is used and how US law applies."

The court’s decision is notable as the first European ruling addressing AI training conducted in the US, confirming that AI service providers must obtain appropriate licenses from rights holders like GEMA even when training occurs abroad.

Dr Tobias Holzmüller, CEO of GEMA, emphasized the ruling’s importance: "AI models built on stolen intellectual property have no protection under the law. AI service providers must pay for licenses rather than helping themselves to our members’ works free of charge. This verdict significantly strengthens Europe’s position as a cultural centre and ensures claims can be brought against AI providers operating in Europe."

Dr Kai Welp, GEMA’s general counsel, highlighted the technical findings: "It’s astonishing that AI systems store significant quantities of almost complete works, something we substantiated during proceedings. Recent academic literature suggests this is just the tip of the iceberg. The court’s stance on US legal positions allows us to bring actions in Munich regardless of where AI training occurs."

Welp added that while this ruling is a milestone for creators, effective enforcement will require continued support from European lawmakers to prevent AI providers from relocating to jurisdictions with weaker copyright protections.

This case underscores the increasing legal scrutiny of AI-generated music and the necessity for AI companies to secure appropriate licenses when using copyrighted material in training datasets. It also signals a broader trend of rights holders asserting control over AI’s use of creative works in Europe and beyond.