Canadian music rights organization SOCAN has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI music platform Suno, alleging that its service generates and streams unauthorized copies of songs in SOCAN’s repertoire.
The statement of claim, filed September 2 in the Federal Court of Canada, identifies 150 Suno-generated tracks drawn from 137 songs that SOCAN represents, according to Music Business Worldwide. The allegations focus on those outputs and their streaming to users in Canada.
Songs cited include Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi,” Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is a Highway” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” SOCAN has also published online comparisons pairing original recordings with Suno tracks it alleges infringe its members’ rights.
Take a look/listen here.
SOCAN’s chief legal officer and general counsel, Andrea Kokonis, told Billboard Canada that Suno launched in Canada in December 2023 without seeking SOCAN’s consent, and that subsequent discussions had not resolved the dispute. Kokonis said:
“We want to ensure that our members are paid when their songs are used.”
SOCAN is seeking damages and profits attributable to the alleged infringement, or alternatively statutory damages of CAD $20,000 per song. It is also requesting CAD $10 million in punitive and exemplary damages, alongside court orders preventing further infringement.
Neither report includes a response from Suno to SOCAN’s lawsuit. SOCAN's AI Lawsuit web page explains the PRO's perspective with more detail.
Read the full statement of claim here.
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