Sony and Warner Chappell sue Anthropic for alleged multi-billion dollar copyright infringement

Key points

• Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell Music filed suit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California against Anthropic, CEO Dario Amodei, and co-founder Benjamin Mann.
• The complaint alleges Anthropic illegally torrented, scraped, and downloaded tens of thousands of copyrighted musical compositions to train its Claude AI models.
• Plaintiffs are seeking up to $150,000 in statutory damages per infringed work, plus up to $25,000 for each instance of stripped copyright management information, potentially totaling several billion dollars.
• The lawsuit claims Benjamin Mann used BitTorrent to download over five million pirated books and that employees downloaded at least two million more from Pirate Library Mirror.
• Specific songs named in the complaint include 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough,' 'Livin' On a Prayer,' 'September,' 'Hallelujah,' and 'Paper Rings.'
• This follows a recent $1.5 billion settlement with the publishing industry and precedes other pending lawsuits from Universal Music Group, Concord, and ABKCO.

Background

Anthropic has faced escalating legal challenges regarding AI training data. In September 2025, the company agreed to a record $1.5 billion settlement with authors and publishers over allegations of using pirated books. Earlier in 2026, Universal Music Group, Concord, and ABKCO filed a separate lawsuit seeking over $3 billion in damages for the alleged illegal download of more than 20,000 copyrighted songs. Additionally, Sony has been involved in a separate copyright battle with AI music generator Udio, alleging the use of over 30,000 copyrighted recordings without permission.

How outlets are covering it

The Verge and Engadget emphasize the scale of the alleged infringement, noting the plaintiffs' claim of 'tens of thousands' of works and the potential for multi-billion dollar damages. Axios highlights the strategic breadth of this lawsuit compared to previous cases, such as BMG's suit which focused on 493 compositions, and notes the complexity of music copyright structures. All sources agree on the core allegations of illegal torrenting and scraping, but differ in emphasis: The Verge and Engadget focus on the specific damages sought and named songs, while Axios provides context on the legal implications for the music industry and the structural complexity of copyright claims.

Why it matters

This lawsuit represents a significant escalation in the legal battle over AI training data, with major music publishers seeking unprecedented damages. The inclusion of individual founders as defendants and the allegation of large-scale piracy could set a precedent for holding AI companies and their leaders personally accountable for copyright infringement. The outcome may influence how AI companies source training data and could lead to further legal challenges from other copyright holders.

What to watch

Anthropic has not yet responded to the lawsuit. The case will likely proceed to discovery and potentially a jury trial, as requested by the plaintiffs. The outcome could impact ongoing and future lawsuits from other music publishers and may influence the development of AI models in the music industry.