Suno announces song watermarking and download limits amid copyright lawsuits

Suno, the AI-powered music creation platform, has announced it will add new safeguards for tracks made with its tools, including audio watermarking, limits on downloads, and updated community rules aimed at preventing copycat songs. The move comes as the company faces multiple lawsuits from record labels and artist organizations.

In a blog post, co-founder and CEO Mikey Shulman said the platform wants to encourage original creation while allowing more people to make music using AI. A central issue is that users have uploaded AI-generated songs to other streaming services and manipulated the system to earn revenue. Suno says it will apply watermarking and fingerprinting technology to track its songs and prevent such misuse.

The company did not say whether it would adopt an existing framework such as Google’s Synth ID or build a custom solution; TechCrunch’s inquiry went unanswered. Suno also signed an agreement with lyrics platform Musixmatch to use its Sentinal copyright detection system. Shulman described the tools as durable and resistant to tampering, and said they are not meant to judge whether a song is good or sufficiently human. Rather, he argued, artists and platforms should decide what to disclose, with Suno providing transparency options and encouraging industry collaboration.

The startup plans to introduce a download policy that blocks mass distribution of its tracks on streaming platforms, though it declined to share specifics. Updated community guidelines now explicitly prohibit deceptive audio presented as real and the use of a real person’s voice or likeness without permission.

Suno raised $400 million in a Series D round in June. It is fighting legal battles on several fronts, including a coordinated lawsuit with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group under the Recording Industry Association of America. Late last month, a German court sided with licensing agency GEMA, ruling that Suno violated copyright rules. 404 Media reported a November 2025 data breach revealing that the platform had scraped content from YouTube, Deezer, and Genius for training. Have I Been Pwned said the breach affected 55 million users. Suno also faces a class action in Massachusetts alleging it prioritized profit over security.