Sony Music Entertainment has filed another lawsuit against AI music generator Udio. The company claims Udio copied more than 30,000 copyrighted songs to train its artificial intelligence models.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Artists whose songs were allegedly used include Beyoncé, Harry Styles and Elvis Presley.

Court documents show that 30,117 Sony-owned tracks were found in Udio’s training datasets during the discovery process. The new complaint follows a judge’s decision not to allow those songs to be added to Sony’s original lawsuit.

Sony Says Licensing Was Necessary

In its complaint, Sony argued that Udio needed permission from rights holders before using the recordings.

“Foundational principles of copyright law dictate that copying protected sound recordings for the purpose of developing a commercial AI product like Udio’s requires permission from rightsholders,” Sony alleged in its complaint.

The label further stated: “Otherwise, such AI offerings will erode the value of the artistic works that comprise the essential raw materials that allow them to function in the first place. If left unmoored from existing and longstanding legal constraints, such products could supplant, rather than support, genuine human creativity.”

Udio Cites Fair Use

Udio has defended its training methods in the ongoing legal battle. In an April response to the earlier lawsuit, the company argued that training AI models on copyrighted songs uploaded to YouTube qualifies as fair use.

According to Udio, the process was “a back-end technological process, invisible to the public, in the service of creating an ultimately non-infringing new product.”

Copyright Dispute Continues

The case highlights the growing conflict between AI developers and copyright owners. Record labels, movie studios and news organisations continue to debate how copyrighted material can be used in AI systems.

Sony also pointed to Udio’s licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. The company said those deals show that licensing copyrighted music was a possible option.

“At its core, this case is about ensuring that copyright continues to incentivise human invention and imagination, as it has for centuries,” Sony claimed in its lawsuit.

The company added: “Achieving this end does not require stunting technological innovation, but it does require that Udio adhere to copyright law and respect the creators whose works allow it to function in the first place.”

Sony is seeking at least $150,000 for each allegedly infringed work. It also wants the court to block Udio from using its recordings to train AI models.