Elvis Presley Rightsholders Sue Anthropic for $41M Over 274 Songs
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-10-25
Authentic Brands Group, which controls Elvis Presley's music and likeness, alongside co-owning publishers, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Claude was trained on 274 Presley songs without permission, seeking about $41M — 274 works × $150K, the US statutory maximum per work for willful infringement.
Key points:
- The suit targets both training and outputs, claiming Claude reproduced material from nearly every song catalog online, even after Anthropic added guardrails following earlier publisher suits
- As evidence, it quotes Claude admitting its "modern audience" rewrites reused the originals' structure and hooks with light rewording
- It's among the first major lawsuits brought by an artist's estate (rather than labels) against an AI company
- A 2025 federal ruling found training Claude on lawfully purchased books was fair use — a precedent Anthropic will likely cite, though near-copied lyrics in outputs sit outside that ruling; the case may hinge on how reliably guardrails block them
- Anthropic had not responded when first reported, and no court has tested the claims
Related event: Elvis Rights Holders Sue Anthropic for $41 Million Over Song Lyrics(2 posts)→
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