Law Professors Support Authors in AI Copyright Case Against Meta

Legal Scholars Back Authors in AI Copyright Dispute with Meta

A coalition of legal professors specializing in copyright law has submitted an amicus brief bolstering the case of authors who are suing Meta.

These authors allege that Meta improperly utilized their e-books to train its Llama AI models without obtaining the necessary permissions.

Challenging Meta’s Fair Use Claim

The brief, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division on Friday, strongly contests Meta’s assertion of fair use.

It characterizes Meta’s defense as an unprecedented attempt to secure greater legal protections than those traditionally afforded to human authors.

The document argues that training AI models with copyrighted material isn't a 'transformative' use.

This is because such training mirrors the use of works to educate human authors – a core, original function of all authored content.

Commercial Implications Highlighted

Furthermore, the brief emphasizes that the purpose of this training is to facilitate the creation of competing works.

When undertaken by a for-profit entity like Meta, this purpose undeniably renders the use commercial in nature.

Broad Support for Authors

The International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers also filed an amicus brief in support of the authors on Friday.

Additional support came from the Copyright Alliance, representing a diverse range of artistic creators, and the Association of American Publishers.

Counter Arguments from Meta and Supporters

Following publication of this report, a Meta spokesperson directed attention to amicus briefs filed by a separate group of law professors and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

These briefs were submitted the previous week and offer support for Meta’s legal stance.

The Kadrey v. Meta Case

The lawsuit, known as Kadrey v. Meta, involves authors including Richard Kadrey, Sarah Silverman, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

They claim Meta infringed on their intellectual property rights by using their e-books for AI training.

The authors also allege that Meta removed copyright management information (CMI) from the e-books to conceal the alleged infringement.

Meta maintains that its training practices constitute fair use and argues the authors lack the legal standing to pursue the lawsuit.

Court Ruling Allows Case to Proceed

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria permitted the case to move forward, though he dismissed a portion of the claims.

Judge Chhabria stated that the allegation of copyright infringement represents a “concrete injury” sufficient for standing.

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

Wider Implications for AI Copyright Law

Currently, the courts are considering multiple AI copyright lawsuits, including a suit brought by The New York Times against OpenAI.

Updated 8:36 p.m. Pacific: Additional amicus briefs filed on Friday have been referenced.