German court rules AI company must pay music copyrights

German court rules AI company must pay music copyrights

Posted on 7/31/2026, 9:27 AM AST | Updated on 7/31/2026, 9:27 AM AST

BERLIN – A German court has ruled that artificial intelligence company Suno must pay copyright royalties for using existing songs to train its AI music generator, marking a major victory for German copyright organization GEMA.

The court found that AI-generated songs often closely resemble the melodies, harmonies and rhythms of copyrighted works. GEMA argued that Suno trained its AI using protected compositions without obtaining permission or paying licensing fees.

The amount Suno must pay has not yet been determined, and the company can still appeal the ruling. According to GEMA, this is the first court decision in Europe requiring an AI company to compensate copyright holders for training its systems with existing music.