Elvis Presley's music owners sue Anthropic over 274 songs
On 23 October 2026, partnerships that control 274 Elvis Presley songs sued Anthropic, the maker of Claude, in a federal court in San Francisco. They say Anthropic used the songs to train Claude without permission and paid nothing. Anthropic says it disagrees with the claims and intends to defend the case fully. None of the claims has been tested in court.
The short version
- 01Owners of rights to 274 Elvis Presley songs sued Anthropic on 23 October 2026.
- 02The case was filed in a federal court in San Francisco and lists the claim as copyright infringement.
- 03They say Anthropic used the songs to train Claude without permission and paid nothing.
- 04Anthropic says it disagrees with the claims and intends to defend the case fully.
- 05The claims are allegations and have not been tested in court.
At a glance
| Filed | 23 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Court | US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco) |
| Case | ABG EPE IP LLC v. Anthropic PBC, 5:26-cv-12473 |
| Type of claim | Copyright infringement |
| Songs named in the suit | 274 Elvis Presley songs |
| Anthropic's response | "We disagree with the claims and intend to defend this case fully." |
| Status | Reported |
Who is suing Anthropic over Elvis songs?
The plaintiffs are partnerships that control 274 of Elvis Presley's best-known songs, the Los Angeles Times reported. Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to Presley, began the case with other legal entities that also own rights, according to Billboard as cited by the Times.
The court docket names the lead plaintiff as ABG EPE IP LLC. It lists the case as a copyright infringement claim against Anthropic PBC, filed on 23 October 2026.
What do the owners say Anthropic did?
They say Anthropic used the songs without permission to train Claude, and paid nothing for them. The complaint says Anthropic built "its entire business model based on copyright infringement at a scale never seen before", the Times reported.
The songs named include "All Shook Up", "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Don't Be Cruel" and "Return to Sender". These are claims by the plaintiffs, not findings by a court.
How much money are they asking for?
Engadget, citing The New York Times, reports that the owners want $41 million. Other coverage gives different totals, so we treat the exact figure as reported, not confirmed.
What does Anthropic say?
An Anthropic spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times and Engadget: "We disagree with the claims and intend to defend this case fully."
We disagree with the claims and intend to defend this case fully.
An Anthropic spokesperson
Why does it matter?
AI companies train their models on huge amounts of writing, images and music. Music owners are asking courts whether that is allowed without a licence. The plaintiffs' lawyers noted that at least six suits about music used to train AI are pending in federal court in San Francisco.
What's next?
Anthropic will defend the case. The court has to decide whether the claims hold, and none of them has been tested yet.
Questions people ask
Who sued Anthropic over Elvis songs?
Partnerships that control 274 Elvis Presley songs, including entities tied to Authentic Brands Group, filed the suit on 23 October 2026.
Where was the lawsuit filed?
In a federal court in San Francisco, the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
What do the plaintiffs claim?
That Anthropic used the songs to train Claude without permission and paid nothing.
What does Anthropic say?
It says it disagrees with the claims and intends to defend the case fully.
Has a court decided anything?
No. The claims are allegations and have not been tested in court.
Sources
- PrimaryCourtListener: ABG EPE IP LLC v. Anthropic PBC, 5:26-cv-12473, filed 23 Oct 2026
- CoverageLos Angeles Times: Elvis Presley catalog owners sue Anthropic alleging copyright infringement (25 Oct 2026)
- CoverageEngadget: Elvis Presley's Estate Is Suing Anthropic Over Copyright Infringement
Why "Reported"? We label a story "Reported" when only the media have it so far. Spotted an error? Email hello@openloopnews.com and we will correct it.
