Amid legal battles, Suno says it will start watermarking songs

Suno, the AI music generation service, announced new tools to mark tracks made on its platform, limit downloads, and update community guidelines to prevent copycat songs. Co-founder and CEO Mikey Shulman shared core principles in a blog post, stating that the platform wants to promote original creation while enabling more people to make music with its AI tools. Suno will use audio watermarking and fingerprinting to prevent misuse on other streaming platforms, though it is unclear if it will use an existing system like Google's Synth ID or adopt a new one. The company also signed an agreement with lyrics provider Musixmatch to use its Sentinal system for copyright detection. Shulman said these tools are designed to be durable and resistant to tampering without affecting the listening experience. Suno plans to add a new download policy to bar mass distribution on streaming platforms, but declined to provide details. The company has also changed its community guidelines to explicitly prohibit deceptive audio presented as real and using a real person's voice or likeness without permission. Suno raised $400 million in a Series D funding round in June and is fighting legal battles, including lawsuits with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group, coordinated by the RIAA. A German court ruled in favor of GEMA, saying Suno was breaking copyright rules. Additionally, 404 Media reported a data breach in November 2025 that affected 55 million users, leading to a class action lawsuit in Massachusetts.