GEMA v. Suno Copyright Dispute Enters German Courtroom

Oral proceedings in the copyright case filed by Germany’s GEMA against AI music generator Suno were heard in a Munich courtroom on Monday. GEMA represents the copyrights of more than 100,000 composers, lyricists and music publishers in Germany, as well as more than 2,000,000 rightsholders worldwide.

The case:

• In a suit filed on January 21, 2025, the German collecting society alleged that Suno “used, stored and reproduced copyrighted recordings of world-famous songs to train its AI tool,” as per Music Business Worldwide.

• Digital Music News reports that in the hearing GEMA presented evidence that showed “how the system outputs content that clearly infringes copyright, in that the resulting melodies, harmonies and rhythms closely match world-famous works.”

• A ruling is scheduled for June 12.

Previous win:

• In November 2025, GEMA won a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI, in which it accused the platform of reproducing protected song lyrics by German authors in ChatGPT without remunerating the authors of the works used.

What they said:

• Dr. Tobias Holzmüller, CEO of GEMA, in a statement accompanying the hearing: “Europe must shape its own digital future. We must not limit ourselves to adopting regulations that originate elsewhere. Only by developing our own clear standards for the use of AI can we safeguard the rights of our creative professionals and strengthen Europe’s cultural, digital, and economic sovereignty.”

• Suno, in a statement to Digital Music News: “At today’s hearing, the court heard from both parties but did not discuss the substance of the arguments, noting that it has not yet reached a decision. We have the opportunity to submit additional briefing, with further proceedings expected in the coming months.”