Elvis Presley's estate sues Anthropic over AI music training

The lawsuit against Anthropic

The owners of Elvis Presley's intellectual property have launched a formal legal war against the artificial intelligence company Anthropic. The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, October 23, accuses the tech giant of using hundreds of the rock legend's songs without authorization. As reported by Billboard, the complaint specifically targets the data used to train Anthropic's models.

The plaintiffs argue that Anthropic infringed on 274 of Presley's copyrighted works. These include some of his most recognizable hits, such as "Can't Help Falling in Love," "A Little Less Conversation," and "Don't Be Cruel." The legal action aims to enforce exclusive rights against a company the plaintiffs claim has built its business on large-scale copyright infringement.

The lawsuit was initiated by a unit of Authentic Brands Group, the licensing firm that manages a significant portion of Elvis's brand. This includes his song catalog, trademarks, and the rights to his name and image. Other entities that own Elvis rights also co-filed the suit to ensure a comprehensive legal challenge against the AI firm.

How AI training works

To understand the core of this dispute, it is necessary to look at how AI models are developed. Companies like Anthropic use a process called training, which involves ingesting millions of existing works to teach the software patterns. By processing this data, the AI learns to generate new content that mimics the style or substance of the original works.

Anthropic and other AI developers argue that this process is protected by the fair use defense. Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows for the use of copyrighted material without permission under specific circumstances, such as for transformative purposes. However, the courts have not yet reached a final consensus on whether training an AI model qualifies as fair use or as a violation of copyright.

The Elvis plaintiffs contend that the technology produces what they call unlicensed derivative works. They argue that by using Presley's music to build these models, Anthropic is creating a product that profits from the artist's legacy without providing compensation. This creates a complex legal question about where inspiration ends and infringement begins in the age of machine learning.

A high-profile legal battle

While several music companies have already taken legal action against AI firms, this specific case stands out because of its subject. It represents one of the most high-profile legal actions ever filed on behalf of an individual musician. Because Elvis Presley is arguably the most famous recording artist in history, the stakes for this litigation are exceptionally high for the industry.

The lawsuit mirrors previous cases where music publishers have sued AI firms for using music en masse. For example, the AI song generator Suno faced a lawsuit from all three major music companies in 2024. That company eventually settled with Warner Music Group but continues to face litigation from Sony Music and Universal Music Group.

Anthropic is a much larger firm than Suno and has already faced various lawsuits across different creative industries. This new case highlights a growing trend of litigation regarding how AI companies handle the intellectual property of human creators. The plaintiffs are seeking to protect what they describe as some of the most influential musical compositions in human history.

The legal team and history

The lead attorney behind the Elvis lawsuit, Richard Busch, is an experienced litigator in the music industry. He has a history of handling landmark cases involving high-profile artists and digital rights. His previous work includes representing Eminem in cases regarding digital downloads during the 2000s.

Busch also represented the estate of Marvin Gaye in a famous copyright case against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. That case centered on the song "Blurred Lines," where the estate successfully argued that the track infringed on Gaye's "Got to Give It Up." This victory established a significant precedent for how