Published : 26 Oct 2026, 08:27 PM
Updated : 26 Oct 2026, 08:27 PM
The rightsholders to Elvis Presley's music catalogue have launched a major copyright infringement lawsuit against artificial intelligence developer Anthropic, alleging the firm used 274 of the late singer's tracks to train its AI models without authorisation, according to The Guardian.
Authentic Brands Group, which holds ownership of Presley’s music and likeness, filed the legal action in federal court, accusing Anthropic of building its flagship AI assistant, Claude, through systemic copyright violations.
The catalogue entries listed in the claim include classics such as Can't Help Falling in Love, All Shook Up, and A Little Less Conversation. Attorneys representing the estate are seeking $150,000 per infringed track, bringing total statutory damages requested to approximately $41 million (£31 million).
While major record labels and industry trade bodies have previously targeted AI platforms, the legal action represents one of the first direct copyright lawsuits brought by a deceased artist's estate against a leading AI developer.
Plaintiffs allege that despite installing safety guardrails, Anthropic’s models continue to output infringing lyrics and unauthorised adaptations of copyrighted works, The Guardian reports.
The legal challenge comes amid broader tensions across the music industry over AI-generated content, with streaming services stepping up efforts to filter out unauthorised tracks and voice-cloning bots.
