Reservoir sues Suno and Anthropic over AI music training
The indie publisher's attorney says Suno let users generate songs for $10 a month off "illicit copies" of catalog including Madonna and Johnny Cash.
Reservoir filed two federal lawsuits on Wednesday, October 21, against Suno and Anthropic, accusing both companies of infringing songs including Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach," Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" to train their AI models, according to Billboard. Reservoir's attorney Richard Busch wrote that Suno "made illicit copies of millions of copyrighted musical works" and built a platform letting anyone "capable of paying $10 per month" generate songs from them without paying rights holders.
An Anthropic spokesperson told Billboard the company disagrees with the allegations and "intend[s] to defend this case vigorously." A Suno representative declined to comment. Reservoir CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi said the company supports technological progress but "when we believe their work has been exploited without authorization, we will hold AI platforms legally accountable."
Billboard reported that Suno has previously settled cases with Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe, while Universal Music Group and Sony Music continue to sue the company in federal court over its newer model. Reservoir's complaint criticizes Suno's "sudden willingness" to work with the music industry as an "about-face."
Reservoir isn't mincing words here: its lawyer calls Suno's business model "infringe now, make billions by being the first mover, and try to settle on the cheap later." Note the detail that stands out most — Suno already settled with Warner, BMG and Believe, yet Reservoir is suing anyway and calling out that same "about-face" as a reason not to trust it. When a company that's already cut peace deals still gets sued by the next rights holder in line, that tells you the settling didn't settle the argument.
From the Coral Wire edition of Fri, Oct 23 2026 · Coral Index 57/100 (Mixed signals)
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