Timbaland apologized to producer K Fresh after using his music without permission to train AI software. The controversy started when Timbaland uploaded K Fresh’s song to Suno AI and created a remix without getting consent.
K Fresh and his lawyer sent a legal threat letter to Timbaland earlier this week. They said Timbaland violated copyright law and Suno’s own rules by using music he did not own.
“There was no credit. No consent. No apology,” the letter stated. It demanded that Timbaland apologize publicly within 24 hours and prove that K Fresh’s music was removed from Suno’s AI training system.
Timbaland responded in less than four hours with a public apology on social media. He said he thought the artist who sent him the song owned all the rights to it.
“I’d like to formally apologize to K Fresh. I should have done my due diligence before using it,” Timbaland wrote. He said he did not try to make money from the remix or claim he owned it.
Timbaland co-founded the AI entertainment company Stage Zero this month. He also serves as a strategic advisor for Suno AI. The company recently signed TaTa as its first AI-generated artist.
The producer maintains he did not break the law. However, he acknowledged that current copyright laws have not caught up with AI technology. Even when companies remove content, they are not required to delete what the AI learned from it.
Major record labels Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group are currently in talks with AI music companies Suno and Udio. The labels previously sued these companies for copyright infringement but may now license their music for AI training.
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