Issue No. 048 · Story 02 · September 2, 2026
Right of PublicityJason Isbell and Other Musicians Sue Suno Over Artist Identity
Jason Isbell, David Lowery, Guy Forsyth, and Eduardo Calle filed a proposed class action accusing Suno of using musicians' identifying characteristics in its artificial intelligence music system without consent.
- §The complaint was filed in Massachusetts federal court on August 31.
- §The musicians allege that Suno encoded artist identities and allowed users to generate tracks that evoke their voices, tone, and phrasing.
- §The plaintiffs seek class certification, damages, and an order stopping the alleged commercial use of musician identities.
- §Suno disputes the claims and says it blocks prompts for specific artists and copyrighted songs.
THE TAKEAWAY
The case separates artist identity from ownership of recordings and compositions. That distinction puts name, voice, style, and persona at the center of a dispute that is not limited to traditional copyright claims.
Same issue