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SOCAN sues Suno in Canada over AI-generated outputs allegedly copying songs in its repertoire

Sep 2, 2026 · Gathered automatically from public sources. Not reviewed by a person.

What happened

Canada's Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers (SOCAN) filed a copyright lawsuit against Suno in the Federal Court of Canada on September 2, 2026, alleging the platform's AI-generated outputs replicate songs in its repertoire without permission or compensation.

Details

  • SOCAN lists 150 publicly available Suno outputs it says are identical or substantially similar to songs in its repertoire, calling them "just the tip of the iceberg." Cited examples include Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway," K. Maro's "Femme Like U," Alexisonfire's "Passing Out in America," and Daniel Balavoine's "S.O.S. d'un terrien en detresse."
  • The 42-page statement of claim includes note-by-note comparisons. SOCAN alleges a user fed Suno nothing but the lyrics of "Both Sides Now" and received a track "virtually identical" to the original in melody, harmony, and lyrics; a "Sk8er Boi" output allegedly swapped some lyrics for Korean equivalents and was titled "Sk8er Boi (K-pop remix) (Avril Lavigne cover)."
  • Unlike the German (GEMA) and Danish (Koda) cases against Suno, which target training inputs, SOCAN targets the platform's outputs and their streaming in Canada, alleging infringement of performing rights. The claim also cites Suno's own account of training on "virtually all music files of reasonable quality" available online, and argues Suno's later "guardrails" confirm awareness of the infringing nature of its model.
  • SOCAN seeks damages plus profits, or alternatively statutory damages of CAD 20,000 per song (150 outputs drawing on 137 songs, roughly CAD 2.74 million), plus CAD 10 million in punitive and exemplary damages for "wilful and knowing infringement," and two injunctions — including a "wide injunction" covering every song SOCAN represents now or in future.

Boundary

All allegations are from SOCAN's statement of claim and have not been proven in court. Suno's response to this filing is not recorded in the sources read.

Sources