APRA AMCOS has welcomed a German court ruling against AI music generator Suno.
Last week, the Munich Regional Court found in favour of German collecting society GEMA, ruling that Suno is fully liable for training its AI system on copyrighted music, storing those works, and reproducing them without a licence or payment to rightsholders.
In a first for any court globally, the Munich Regional Court further found that Suno couldn’t rely on the US “fair use” doctrine to shield its training activities, even though that training took place in the US.
The court ruling granted almost all of GEMA’s claims for an injunction, disclosure of information and damages, and holding Suno liable as a direct infringer. Suno has now been ordered to cease and desist, disclose its revenue, and also pay damages.
In a statement shared with Rolling Stone AU/NZ today, APRA AMCOS, who represent 1280,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, applauded last week’s historic ruling.
“Munich has called it what it is. Not innovation. Theft. The Australian Prime Minister said the same thing at the University of Sydney: no company should use Australian books, music, art or news to build or train AI without the artist’s control. Anything less, is theft,” says APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston.
“We already know what has been taken. Midnight Oil. Cold Chisel. Sia. Crowded House. Lorde. Our members found their own songs inside these systems, uninvited and unpaid. This is not just a German case. It’s a warning to every AI developer, in every territory, including this one. You cannot train on the world’s music and argue the world’s laws don’t apply to you.”
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“Suno knows where we are. The path forward is negotiation, built on consent and fair payment. We expect that conversation to start now,” Ormston adds.
