Sony Music Group‘s parent company, Japan-headquartered Sony Group, has reportedly developed technology to identify copyrighted music embedded in AI-generated tracks.
That’s according to the financial news outlet Nikkei Asia, which reported on Monday (February 16) that the tech has opened a path for songwriters to claim compensation when their work is used without authorization.
The newspaper explained that the technology operates through two methods. When AI developers cooperate for analysis, Sony connects directly to their base model systems to extract training data. Without cooperation, the system compares AI-generated output against existing music catalogs to estimate which original works were used.
The development comes as AI companies come under increasing pressure over training their models on copyrighted material without permission. Sony Music Entertainment was among the major music companies that sued AI music generators Suno and Udio for “mass infringement” of copyrighted material.
While Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have settled lawsuits with Udio and partnered with the AI firm on licensing, Sony has remained notably silent. Warner Music also settled with Suno in November.
Nikkei said Sony envisions the technology will form the basis of a revenue-sharing framework that would compensate original creators based on their contribution to AI-generated music.
Sony AI, part of Sony Group’s research and development division, developed the system, and a related paper has been accepted at an international conference, according to the report. Sony AI has also developed methods to stop AI systems from copying anime styles, including those of Studio Ghibli.
Under Japanese copyright law, music rights split into two categories: copyrights held by songwriters, composers and publishers, and neighboring rights held by performers and record producers, the report said. Sony Group controls major music labels and a publisher, including half of Michael Jackson‘s catalog. These entities typically collect royalties when songs appear in films, TV shows, or streaming services, then distribute payments to rights holders.
Sony has not announced when the system will enter commercial use. The company expects AI developers to integrate the technology into their models and content companies to use it during license negotiations.
Sony’s move follows related AI initiatives in the music industry. In October, Sony Music Group joined Spotify in developing what the streaming platform called “responsible” AI music products. Spotify announced it was building a generative AI research lab and product team, pledging “significant investments in AI research and product development.”
Two months earlier, in September 2025, Universal Music Group and Sony Music partnered with SoundPatrol, a Stanford University-affiliated research lab. SoundPatrol developed what it describes as “groundbreaking neural fingerprinting technologies” to detect copyright infringement in AI music.
The lab’s patent-pending “forensic AI model for audio-video fingerprinting” claims to represent “a step change from existing detection methods.” SoundPatrol was co-founded by Michael Ovitz, who co-founded Creative Artists Agency, and Walter De Brouwer, who has a PhD in computational linguistics.
In March 2025, Sony Music challenged proposed UK copyright reforms, revealing it had requested the removal of more than 75,000 AI-generated deepfakes of its artists’ content.
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