Suno and Udio have a new adversary in their copyright fight with independent musicians: Hagens Berman, the law firm that took on the tobacco industry.
The firm has joined forces with Delgado Entertainment Law to represent independent artists whose recordings were allegedly copied without permission to train the two companies’ AI music-generation models.
Hagens Berman announced the move on Monday (June 22), the same day it filed an amended complaint against Udio in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The firm’s arrival raises the stakes for Suno and Udio.
Hagens Berman represented 13 US states in what it describes as the largest recovery in litigation history, a settlement with the tobacco industry that the firm values at $260 billion.
Co-founder Steve Berman served as special assistant attorney general for those states in State of Washington, et al. v. Philip Morris, et al., the case behind that recovery.
“Independent artists and producers represent the heart and soul of the music industry, and in the landscape of AI, they stand to lose the most,” said Berman, the firm’s managing partner.
“We believe that Udio and Suno have blatantly stolen works from millions of independent artists and have violated the terms of online platforms in order to do so.”
Steve Berman, Hagens Berman
Berman added: “We believe that Udio and Suno have blatantly stolen works from millions of independent artists and have violated the terms of online platforms in order to do so.”
The complaint alleges that Udio‘s conduct was “not only unlawful, but an unconscionable attack on the music community’s most vulnerable and valuable creators.”
The case Hagens Berman has joined was first filed in June 2025 by country musician Tony Justice and his label, 5th Wheel Records.
Justice, a full-time truck driver whose song Last of the Cowboys has been streamed more than 8 million times on music platforms such as Spotify, sued both companies in June last year, in separate complaints against Suno in Massachusetts and Udio in New York.
That lawsuit argued that “rather than simply license these copyrighted songs like every other tech-based business does, Suno/Udio elected to simply steal the songs and generate AI-soundalike music at virtually no cost.”
The suits now name Anthony Justice, 5th Wheel Records and MyHeartland Publishing as plaintiffs, on behalf of independent artists who released music on streaming services since 2021.
The complaints claim that Suno and Udio circumvented the technological measures used by YouTube, Spotify and other distributors to copy “tens of millions” of recordings, the majority of them owned by independent artists.
The plaintiffs allege Suno and Udio then repackaged those works into AI-generated songs that compete in the same marketplace as the originals.
On May 21, the federal court hearing the Udio case denied in part the company’s motion to dismiss, upholding claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
A separate federal court has yet to rule on Suno‘s motion to dismiss the case against it.
The DMCA claims center on “stream-ripping,” a method of downloading audio that the major labels suing the AI firms have also alleged.
When the three majors expanded their own case in September 2025 to allege stream-ripping, Suno asked the court to dismiss the claim.
Suno did not deny stream-ripping music from YouTube, but its lawyers argued the practice is not illegal under the DMCA.
The labels responded that “the violation lies in the circumvention, not the reason for it,” in a brief filed in October 2025.
“Working alongside a firm with the experience and track record of Hagens Berman strengthens our ability to pursue these claims and advocate for independent artists at scale,” said Krystle Delgado, founder of Delgado Entertainment Law and lead attorney on the class actions.
“Working alongside a firm with the experience and track record of Hagens Berman strengthens our ability to pursue these claims and advocate for independent artists at scale.”
Krystle Delgado, Delgado Entertainment Law
A second group of independent artists, led by songwriter David Woulard, filed its own class actions against Udio and Suno in October 2025 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Brought by law firm Loevy & Loevy, the Woulard complaints allege copyright infringement and stream-ripping, alongside claims under Illinois‘ Biometric Information Privacy Act and Right of Publicity Act over the alleged use of artists’ voiceprints and identities.
The independent-artist cases follow the litigation brought by the major labels, which sued Suno and Udio in June 2024 through the RIAA for “mass infringement” of copyright.
UMG agreed a settlement with Udio in October 2025, but remains in active litigation with Suno.
Warner reached its own settlement with Udio a month later. WMG then became the first major to settle with Suno, in a deal the companies called “first-of-its-kind” that also saw Suno acquire the concert-discovery platform Songkick from Warner.
Sony Music remains in litigation against both Suno and Udio.
Suno is separately fighting to keep the terms of its Warner settlement away from UMG and Sony, which remain plaintiffs against the company.
Suno and Udio are not the only companies facing music-copyright claims.
Suno is the subject of a separate copyright lawsuit in Germany, filed by collecting society GEMA in January 2025.
Separately, in March 2026, a group of independent artists, several of them also plaintiffs against Suno and Udio, sued Google, alleging it trained its Lyria 3 model on copyrighted recordings from YouTube.
“Udio and Suno have attempted to hide their infringement behind flimsy fair-use arguments that we believe do not hold up to their behavior,” Berman said.
The lawsuits against Suno and Udio seek damages for affected artists and an injunction to end what the firm calls “massive and ongoing infringement” of their rights.Music Business Worldwide
Suno and Udio, two companies involved in AI music generation, are facing intensified legal challenges in their copyright battles with independent musicians. The law firm Hagens Berman, known for its significant legal victories, including a monumental settlement against the tobacco industry, has partnered with Delgado Entertainment Law to represent independent artists whose works were allegedly used without permission to train the AI models of these companies.
On June 22, Hagens Berman announced its involvement by filing an amended complaint against Udio in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The law firm’s entry raises the stakes significantly, as it has a history of successfully advocating for vulnerable communities, particularly in the music industry where independent artists are concerned. Steve Berman, the firm’s managing partner, expressed the belief that Udio and Suno have engaged in blatant theft of copyrighted works, violating the terms of various online platforms.
The legal action initiated by Hagens Berman is rooted in a lawsuit first filed in June 2025 by country musician Tony Justice and his label, 5th Wheel Records. Justice, a full-time truck driver whose song « Last of the Cowboys » has enjoyed substantial streaming success, accused both firms of choosing to steal music instead of following the industry norm of licensing. The amended complaint expands the list of plaintiffs to include Justice, 5th Wheel Records, and My Heartland Publishing, representing independent artists who have released music on streaming platforms since 2021. The allegations claim that Suno and Udio circumvented technological protections employed by distributors like YouTube and Spotify to copy millions of recordings, primarily owned by independent artists, to create AI-generated songs that compete with the original works.
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Recent court developments have seen a federal court partially reject Udio’s motion to dismiss, allowing claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to proceed. Meanwhile, Suno is still awaiting a ruling on its motion to dismiss similar allegations. The DMCA claims focus on « stream-ripping, » a method of downloading audio that has been a point of contention in the lawsuits. While Suno has not denied engaging in stream-ripping from YouTube, its legal team argues that the practice does not constitute illegal activity under the DMCA.
Krystle Delgado, founder of Delgado Entertainment Law, expressed confidence that partnering with Hagens Berman enhances their capacity to support independent artists in pursuing their claims. In addition to the lawsuits led by Justice, a separate class action initiated by songwriter David Woulard and represented by Loevy & Loevy in October 2025 accuses Udio and Suno of copyright infringement and stream-ripping. This case also raises issues related to Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act and Right of Publicity Act concerning the use of artists’ voiceprints and identities.
These legal efforts by independent artists coincide with ongoing litigation initiated by major record labels against Suno and Udio, which began in June 2024 through the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Two of the three major labels, Universal Music Group (UMG) and Warner Music Group (WMG), have transitioned from litigation to licensing agreements. UMG settled with Udio in October 2025 while remaining in litigation with Suno, which subsequently reached its settlement with WMG. In a noteworthy development, WMG also became the first major label to settle with Suno, which included Suno acquiring the concert-discovery platform Songkick from Warner. Conversely, Sony Music is still pursuing litigation against both companies.
In a broader context, Suno is also contending with a separate copyright lawsuit in Germany, filed by the collecting society GEMA in January 2025. Additionally, in March 2026, a group of independent artists, some of whom are also plaintiffs against Suno and Udio, filed a lawsuit against Google for allegedly training its Lyria 3 model on copyrighted recordings sourced from YouTube.
Hagens Berman’s Steve Berman criticized Suno and Udio for attempting to justify their actions using weak fair-use arguments that he believes do not withstand scrutiny. The lawsuits against these companies seek damages for the artists affected and push for an injunction to halt what the firm characterizes as « massive and ongoing infringement » of copyright rights.
As the legal landscape evolves, the involvement of Hagens Berman and the collective actions of independent artists signal a significant challenge to the practices of AI music generation companies, raising critical questions about copyright, fair use, and the future of music creation in the age of artificial intelligence. The outcomes of these legal battles could have far-reaching implications for the music industry, particularly for independent creators who rely on their works for livelihood and recognition.
