Suno already faces lawsuits from major labels over what it trained on. The two new ones, reported by The Verge, aim at something else: what its songs sound like. A group of rights holders for Elvis Presley's music and a publisher behind some of Eminem's biggest records have sued, claiming the service generates music and lyrics that imitate those artists.
The Presley suit is the more interesting legally. It relies on Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, known as the ELVIS Act, which makes it illegal for an AI company to clone a singer's voice. That is a likeness claim, not a copyright one, and it mirrors a suit filed in September by Jason Isbell and others that accused Suno of producing imitations without directly alleging copyright infringement. The complaint's language is pointed, describing Suno as having encoded artists' identities and labour into a conveyor belt of cash.
Suno's answer, through spokesperson Cat McCormack, is that it exists to help people make original music, that prompts naming specific artists or songs are blocked, and that third-party providers screen uploaded audio and lyrics for misuse. The company says it keeps adding safeguards. These cases join a pile that already includes Sony, UMG, Isbell and Reservoir Media.
For users of our reviewed tools, the shift matters. Our Suno review notes that Warner and BMG have signed deals, while Universal and Sony's complaint covering 60,202 recordings is still open, and that Suno began watermarking songs in August, so platforms can tell what came from it. Udio took the other road: after its Universal deal it stopped all downloads, and its planned licensed app reportedly keeps everything in a walled garden. Likeness suits test a different question from training suits. Even a fully licensed model could still produce something that sounds too much like a living or dead star.
What happens next is uncertain. These are complaints, not rulings, and the press coverage gives no detail on specific tracks or damages sought. A filter on artist names is easy to work around with descriptions of a style, which is exactly where a likeness claim will press. Anyone releasing Suno tracks commercially, especially ones built to evoke a famous voice, should follow these cases closely; a win under the ELVIS Act would give other states and other artists a template.