The battle over artificial intelligence and copyright law has reached a critical juncture as independent country musician Anthony Justice takes on AI music giant Suno in a high-stakes legal confrontation. Justice, whose hit “Last of the Cowboys” has garnered over 8 million Spotify streams, filed a lawsuit in June 2025 alleging that Suno infringed his copyrights both by using his music as training data and by generating derivative works that violate his intellectual property rights.
The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status for all independent artists whose works appeared on streaming platforms since January 2021, represents a significant challenge to AI music generation practices. Justice, who commands 54,700 monthly Spotify listeners and 28,000 YouTube subscribers, claims that Suno “scrapes and duplicates” millions of copyrighted songs without proper licensing. Justice is seeking damages of up to $150,000 per work infringed under the lawsuit’s provisions. His production company, 5th Wheel Records, has joined as a co-plaintiff in the case that could reshape the AI music landscape.
Suno has mounted a vigorous defense, particularly against output-based infringement claims. The company argues that its AI creates entirely new music by analyzing patterns rather than directly copying sounds from training materials. Courts have generally supported this position by dismissing output claims in previous AI copyright cases. While Suno plans to invoke fair use defenses regarding input data issues, it has requested immediate dismissal of all output-related claims, characterizing them as legally unfounded under current copyright frameworks.
This case unfolds against a backdrop of parallel legal actions. Major labels Universal, Sony, and Warner, backed by the RIAA, have launched similar lawsuits against Suno and competitor Udio. Justice has also registered his compositions with multiple performance rights organizations to strengthen his position in collecting royalties should the court rule in his favor. Justice’s attorneys have emphasized that his livelihood depends on sync deals which could be threatened if AI-generated music floods the marketplace. In Europe, Germany’s performing rights organization GEMA sued Suno in January 2025 over alleged unauthorized use of protected recordings.
The fundamental question at stake involves whether training AI models on copyrighted content without explicit permission constitutes infringement or falls under fair use protections. The U.S. Copyright Office has previously noted that AI training involves reproduction acts that may constitute prima facie infringement.
As independent artists mobilize to protect their economic viability in an AI-saturated market, the Justice v. Suno case represents a potential watershed moment for creative rights in the digital age.
