Authors demand Meta’s AI training data in copyright lawsuit

Meta faces allegations of using BitTorrent to download and distribute pirated books for AI training, leading to new developments in an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by authors.

Core allegations: Authors including Richard Kadrey, Sarah Silverman, and Christopher Golden have filed a class action lawsuit against Meta for using their works without permission in AI training.

• Meta previously acknowledged using unofficial sources containing pirated content for AI training
• The company maintains that such use falls under fair use protection
• Meta denies that these allegations warrant updates to the original complaint

New legal developments: United States District Judge Vince Chhabria has allowed authors to amend their complaint to include allegations about Meta’s use of BitTorrent to obtain training data.

• The amended complaint focuses on Meta’s alleged use of BitTorrent to download books from LibGen, a pirate shadow library
• Authors claim Meta knowingly participated in copyright infringement by “seeding” (sharing) pirated books with other BitTorrent users
• The court has permitted further investigation into Meta’s seeding activities

Discovery requests: The plaintiffs are seeking detailed information about Meta’s BitTorrent activities.

• Authors want access to Meta’s BitTorrent client logs and settings
• The request includes peer lists and seeding data
• Plaintiffs also seek to examine the involvement of Meta’s legal counsel in torrenting decisions

Internal concerns: Evidence suggests some Meta employees expressed reservations about the company’s torrenting practices.

• One employee noted that “torrenting from a corporate laptop doesn’t feel right”
• There are allegations that Meta attempted to conceal its actions by limiting shared data
• Meta’s in-house counsel was allegedly involved in decisions about obtaining copyrighted works without permission

Legal implications: The addition of BitTorrent-related allegations introduces new complexities to Meta’s fair use defense.

• The distribution aspect of torrenting creates a separate copyright claim beyond AI training use
• This new angle could potentially complicate Meta’s fair use defense
• The case highlights the broader tension between AI development and copyright protection

Strategic significance: These developments represent a new front in the ongoing battle over AI companies’ use of copyrighted materials.

• The torrent allegations add a traditional copyright infringement claim to the AI training dispute
• This approach could create additional legal exposure for AI companies using similar methods
• The outcome could influence how AI companies source training data in the future