AI Copyright Lawsuit Against Meta Can Proceed, Judge Rules

AI Copyright Lawsuit Against Meta Proceeds

A U.S. federal judge has permitted a copyright lawsuit concerning artificial intelligence to advance against Meta, despite dismissing a portion of the original claim.

Allegations of Copyright Infringement

The case, Kadrey vs. Meta, involves authors – notably Richard Kadrey, Sarah Silverman, and Ta-Nehisi Coates – who contend that Meta infringed upon their intellectual property rights.

They allege that Meta utilized their published works to train its Llama AI models. Furthermore, the authors claim the company deliberately removed copyright details from these books to obscure the alleged violation.

Meta's Defense

Meta has countered by asserting that its AI training process constitutes fair use. The company also initially requested dismissal of the lawsuit, arguing the authors lacked the legal basis to pursue the claim.

During a court hearing last month, Judge Vince Chhabria expressed skepticism towards dismissing the case, while simultaneously critiquing the plaintiffs’ legal team for employing overly dramatic language.

Judge Chhabria's Ruling

In a ruling issued on Friday, Judge Chhabria stated that the claim of copyright infringement represents a “concrete injury” sufficient to establish standing.

He also found that the authors had “adequately alleged that Meta intentionally removed copyright management information (CMI) to conceal copyright infringement.”

The judge reasoned that the allegations collectively suggest a “reasonable inference” that Meta removed CMI in an attempt to prevent the Llama model from reproducing copyrighted material in its outputs.

Dismissal of CDAFA Claims

However, the judge did dismiss the authors’ claims based on the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act (CDAFA).

This dismissal was due to the authors’ failure to demonstrate that Meta accessed their computers or servers, only that they accessed their data – specifically, the content of their books.

Insights into Meta's Practices

This lawsuit has already revealed some details regarding Meta’s approach to copyright. Court documents submitted by the plaintiffs suggest that Mark Zuckerberg authorized the Llama team to train the models using copyrighted materials.

Additionally, internal discussions among Meta employees reportedly addressed the use of potentially legally problematic content for AI training purposes.

Broader Implications

Currently, numerous AI copyright lawsuits are being considered by the courts, including a case brought forth by The New York Times against OpenAI.

These cases will likely shape the legal landscape surrounding AI development and the use of copyrighted material in training AI models.