Elvis Presley estate sues Anthropic for $41.1 million

The estate of Elvis Presley has filed a lawsuit against AI company Anthropic, alleging the unauthorized use of 274 songs to train its Claude chatbot. The plaintiffs are seeking $41.1 million in damages, approximately 36.9 million euros, alongside a permanent injunction and the destruction of all unauthorized copies.

The lawsuit claims that Anthropic bypassed technical protections and altered rights management information. Furthermore, the estate alleges that Claude can reproduce melodies and choruses from iconic tracks, such as “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” nearly identically when prompted for modified versions.

Anthropic has denied the allegations and intends to defend itself, citing the US “fair use” principle as the legal basis for its training methods. This case is part of a broader legal conflict between the music industry and AI developers, following similar actions by major labels including Sony, Universal, Warner Chappell, and BMG.