AI music platforms Suno and Udio have responded to copyright infringement lawsuits from major record labels, defending their use of copyrighted materials for AI training under fair use doctrine.

Both companies openly acknowledged training their AI models on recordings owned by major labels, but argue this practice is legal under copyright law for two main reasons:

1. The copying process occurs behind the scenes as part of technological development, which they claim qualifies as fair use
2. Their AI outputs create new works that may sound similar to existing recordings but don't directly copy them

Key defense arguments include:

• No one owns musical styles or basic building blocks of music
• Their technology analyzes relationships between musical elements at scale
• Congress specifically protected sound-alike recordings from copyright infringement
• Their terms of service prohibit direct replication of existing songs

The RIAA responded by:

• Highlighting the companies' admission of using copyrighted recordings
• Arguing that large-scale copying doesn't qualify as fair use
• Stating the defendants could have obtained proper licensing like their competitors
• Citing the Supreme Court's Warhol Foundation case as precedent

The legal battle centers on whether AI companies can legally use copyrighted materials for training without permission from rightsholders. The case could set important precedents for AI development in the music industry, with trial proceedings expected to extend into 2025.

The companies also accused major labels of anti-competitive behavior, suggesting this lawsuit is part of a pattern of resisting technological innovation in the music industry.

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