Rightsholders in 274 compositions recorded by Elvis Presley have sued Anthropic, alleging unauthorized lyric copying for Claude’s development and infringing outputs. Filed October 23 in California federal court, the complaint names ABG EPE IP LLC, Raleigh Music Publishing, Abilene Music and songwriter-related trusts and individuals. Songs identified include “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Return to Sender.” The claims concern underlying compositions and lyrics, rather than Presley’s vocal likeness or master recordings.
The plaintiffs allege that Anthropic retained unauthorized material for successive training runs, generated protected lyrics or adaptations, bypassed technical access restrictions and stripped identifying copyright information. Their statutory-damages demands total $48.635 million. They also seek an injunction, disclosure of relevant training and scraping records, and impoundment or destruction of unauthorized copies. These are requested remedies, not court awards:
Requested Damages
| Alleged violation | Amount sought |
|---|---|
| Willful copyright infringement | $41,100,000 |
| Circumvention of technological access controls | $685,000 |
| Removal or alteration of copyright-management information | $6,850,000 |
| Combined statutory damages sought | $48,635,000 |
How the Amounts Were Calculated
| Claim | Statutory basis | Plaintiffs’ calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Willful copyright infringement | Section 504(c)(2): up to $150,000 per work | 274 × $150,000 = $41,100,000 |
| Circumvention of access controls | Section 1203(c)(3)(A): up to $2,500 per qualifying violation | 274 × $2,500 = $685,000 |
| Removal or alteration of copyright information | Section 1203(c)(3)(B): up to $25,000 per qualifying violation | 274 × $25,000 = $6,850,000 |
The plaintiffs count one alleged violation per composition under each provision. These figures use statutory maximums, not measured lost royalties or licensing rates. Recovery depends on proving liability and satisfying the applicable damages requirements; neither maximum awards nor their combination are automatic. The complaint alternatively requests actual damages and profits attributable to infringement.
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