Suno has asked a Massachusetts federal court to dismiss the proposed class action brought by Jason Isbell, David Lowery, Guy Forsyth and Eduardo Calle over alleged commercial exploitation of their identities.
In its November 3, 2026, supporting memorandum, Suno argues that artist names serve as descriptions of musical styles. It says its system either blocks artist-name prompts or converts those references into genre and style instructions before generating music. The company argues that the claims fail under publicity-rights law, conflict with federal copyright law and implicate First Amendment protections.
Those are Suno’s positions, not court findings. The filing asks for dismissal; it does not establish that the challenged practices are lawful.
The musicians’ August 31, 2026, complaint alleges that Suno encoded and commercially exploited their identities without consent. They distinguish the performer’s identity from ownership of particular recordings and seek damages and injunctive relief under publicity and privacy laws. The complaint seeks class treatment. Neither filing certifies a class or establishes copyright infringement.
For performers and media businesses considering AI-generated music, the dispute puts identity and consent at issue separately from the familiar fight over copyright in training material. Neither the complaint nor Suno’s response resolves what permissions a particular production requires.
The case is No. 1:26-cv-14005-AK in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. RNN has not verified a ruling on the dismissal request.
Related: RNN’s background report on the artist-identity dispute.