Independent musicians sue Google over alleged AI music copyright violations

The lawsuit claims that Google operates a network of AI music products, including Lyria 3 and ProducerAI, which allegedly copy millions of copyrighted works, remove their copyright management information (CMI), and redistribute them online via platforms such as YouTube.

According to the filing, Google’s system identifies these works as part of its AI training data. When users create music through Google’s AI tools, the company is said to attribute ownership to the end-user, generating false copyright information for works originally created by independent musicians.

Attorney Ross Kimbarovsky of Loevy + Loevy, representing the plaintiffs, said: “Google owns the platform where independent musicians distribute their music. Google runs the system that identifies who owns it. And then Google used both to train a product that competes with the very artists who trusted it with their work. No other defendant in any AI copyright case had this kind of access or this kind of knowledge. Google knew exactly what it was taking and who it belonged to.”

He added: “Independent musicians write the songs, record the vocals, and build careers around their music. Google copied the work of millions of them, stripped off their names, and launched a competing product to 750 million people. That is not innovation. It is theft at scale.”

The plaintiffs also argue that Google’s actions violate standard licensing practices. “Google licenses music every day for YouTube, for commercials, for film. It knows how licensing works. If Google wanted to use a song in an ad, it would need a license. If it wanted to use a song in a movie, it would need a license. But Google copied millions of songs to build a commercial music generator and decided the rules didn’t apply to them,” Kimbarovsky said.

The complaint asserts that Google was aware of potential copyright issues but has not publicly disclosed any agreements or permissions covering its use of copyrighted material for AI training.

Plaintiffs named in the lawsuit include New York singer/songwriter Sam Kogon, Atlanta songwriter and producer Michael Mell, Los Angeles composer Magnus Fiennes, Illinois artists David “Davo Sounds” Woulard, father and son recording duo Stan and James Burjek, and Chicago-based musicians Berk Ergoz, Hamza Jilani, Maatkara Wilson, and Arjun Singh. The filing seeks class certification, allowing the plaintiffs to represent all similarly affected individuals.

The lawsuit seeks a federal jury ruling on damages related to 16 alleged violations under both federal and state law, including copyright infringement, fraud, illegal distribution, false endorsement, and false advertising.