Sony Music has significantly expanded its legal battle against AI music platform Udio, adding more than 30,000 copyrighted sound recordings to its lawsuit, including recordings by Michael Jackson. While the case is still in its early stages, its outcome could have major implications for the future of AI-generated music, including fan-made songs using Michael Jackson’s voice.
The new lawsuit, filed in July 2026 in a Manhattan federal court, now covers 30,117 recordings, a dramatic increase from the 333 works originally listed when Sony, Universal Music Group and Warner Music first sued Udio in 2024. According to Sony, the expanded list represents only a fraction of the recordings it identified after reviewing Udio’s training data during the discovery process.
Sony claims it used audio fingerprinting technology to match its copyrighted recordings, including Michael Jackson’s catalogue, to material allegedly used to train Udio’s AI model without permission.
The company also alleges that many of these recordings were obtained by “stream-ripping” music from YouTube using software designed to bypass the platform’s copy protection. If proven, that allegation could carry additional penalties under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Sony is seeking up to $150,000 per infringed recording, potentially exposing Udio to billions of dollars in damages.
Why a new lawsuit?
Rather than expanding the original case, Sony was forced to file a separate lawsuit after U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ruled that adding tens of thousands of new recordings so late in the existing proceedings would unfairly delay the case. However, the judge made it clear Sony was free to pursue those claims in a new action, which is exactly what it has now done.
Unlike Universal Music Group and Warner Music, both of which have since reached licensing agreements with Udio, Sony remains the only major record company continuing its fight through the courts.
What does this mean for Michael Jackson fans using AI?
For fans who enjoy creating AI covers or original songs featuring Michael Jackson’s voice, this lawsuit does not target them directly. The legal dispute is focused on how AI companies train their models, not on individual users generating content.
However, the outcome of the case could indirectly affect what fans are able to create in the future.
If Sony succeeds in arguing that AI models cannot legally be trained using copyrighted recordings without permission, companies developing these tools may have to obtain licenses before using artists’ music. That could lead to:
- Fewer AI platforms offering Michael Jackson-style voice generation without official licensing.
- Some existing services removing Michael Jackson-related models altogether.
- Higher subscription costs as AI companies pay licensing fees.
- More officially licensed AI music tools becoming available in the future.
On the other hand, if courts determine that AI training on copyrighted recordings qualifies as fair use under U.S. law, current AI music platforms could continue operating largely as they do today.
It’s also important to remember that the legality of creating and sharing AI-generated Michael Jackson songs remains a separate issue from how the AI itself was trained. Even if an AI model is legally developed, distributing songs that imitate an artist’s voice or reproduce copyrighted music may raise additional copyright, publicity rights, or other legal questions depending on the jurisdiction.
For now, nothing has been decided. These are allegations, and Udio has not been found liable. But because Michael Jackson’s recordings are among those cited in Sony’s expanded complaint, the case is one of the most significant legal battles yet over how AI music is created and it could shape the future of AI-generated Michael Jackson content for years to come.
