Do I own the copyrights to songs I made?

Edited

Copyrights are complex, and vary by region! To ensure you have the most up-to-date information, we suggest contacting your region's copyright office before applying.

It is important to know there is a difference between ownership and copyrights. It is often said that if you come up with something on your own, you automatically assume the rights to it. In music, there are several other factors that help determine rights beyond ownership.

Relating to Suno:

  • You may be granted commercial use rights, which allow you to reproduce (copy) the song(s) to sell, distribute, etc.

  • Even with granted commercial use rights, you generally are not considered the owner of the songs, since the output was generated by Suno.

In both cases, however, the material may not be eligible for copyright protection.

In the US, copyright laws protect material with significant human contribution. Music made 100% with AI would not qualify for copyright protection because a human did not write the lyrics or the music. Writing the prompt does not constitute the creation of the song.

If you wrote the lyrics for your song(s), you own those lyrics. Most copyright offices will allow you to register those lyrics on their own, and you may be able to register your whole song as well. Some regions/registrars may recognize you as the writer of the song and Suno as an instrument or tool to help you create the song.

In any case, if you made songs while subscribed to Pro or Premier, you should be the only person that is allowed to monetize those songs through distribution or other channels. Some distributors exclude songs that are not eligible for copyright protection, so it may be helpful to research several options, and as always, read the terms and conditions!