The owners of Elvis Presley’s music sued Anthropic over AI song training
Authentic Brands Group, a licensing platform that controls Elvis Presley’s intellectual property, and other rights holders sued Anthropic, alleging it used 274 of Presley’s songs without permission to train its AI models. The plaintiffs seek $41.1 million in statutory damages, a permanent injunction against further infringement and an order requiring Anthropic to destroy unauthorized copies.
More context
The owners of Elvis Presley’s music have sued Anthropic, alleging it used 274 of his songs without permission to train its Claude AI models. Filed Friday, Oct. 23, the case was brought by Authentic Brands Group, which controls Presley’s intellectual property, and other companies, trusts and individuals holding rights to his music. The complaint identifies songs including “All Shook Up,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Return to Sender.” The rights holders allege Anthropic used the works without a license or payment and that its technology can generate unauthorized versions of existing songs. They seek $41.1 million in statutory damages—up to $150,000 for each work—along with a permanent injunction and an order to destroy unauthorized copies. An Anthropic spokesperson said the company disagrees with the claims and intends to defend itself fully.
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Reporting
- NBC News — Elvis Presley’s rights holders sue Anthropic saying it trained AI on his music
- Türkiye Today — Anthropic faces lawsuit over Elvis Presley’s music in AI training - Türkiye Today
- Los Angeles Times — Elvis rights holder sues Anthropic, says songs illegally used to train AI - Los Angeles Times
- Rolling Stone — Elvis Presley Rightsholders Sue Anthropic for Training on 274 Songs Without Permission
- The Guardian — Anthropic sued for allegedly using 274 Elvis Presley songs to train AI models
- nme.com — Elvis Presley rightsholders sue AI company Anthropic over alleged copyright infringement of 274 songs
- pastemagazine.com — Elvis Presley's IP owners sue Anthropic for training AI with his work
- wideopencountry.com — Major AI Company Sued Over Using Elvis Presley’s Music As Training Tool - Wide Open Country
Verifier’s note
The results report that Elvis Presley’s rights holders sued Anthropic, alleging it used his music—specifically 274 songs—to train AI models without permission. The suit was filed on October 23, 2026, making these timely reports of the proposed event.