Publishers and Author Scott Turow Sue Meta Over AI Training Data
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Five major publishers and bestselling author Scott Turow have filed a class-action lawsuit against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleging the company illegally copied millions of copyrighted books and articles to train its Llama AI model. The plaintiffs seek damages and an injunction to stop further use of their works. This follows a recent court ruling that found Meta's use of books to train a different AI model was 'exceedingly transformative' and protected under fair use.
Facts First
- Five publishers and author Scott Turow filed a lawsuit against Meta and Mark Zuckerberg in the Southern District of New York.
- The complaint alleges Meta copied materials from pirate websites to train its Llama language model.
- The lawsuit claims Meta considered licensing deals but changed its strategy in April 2023 after escalation to Zuckerberg.
- The plaintiffs seek statutory damages, a permanent injunction, and destruction of infringing copies.
- A recent ruling found Meta's use of books for training another AI model was 'exceedingly transformative' fair use.
What Happened
On Tuesday, May 5, publishing houses Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Elsevier, and Cengage, along with bestselling author Scott Turow and his company S.C.R.I.B.E, filed a class-action lawsuit against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The plaintiffs allege Meta built its generative AI models using millions of copyrighted books and journal articles. The complaint specifically alleges Meta copied materials from pirate websites LibGen and Anna's Archive to train iterations of its Llama language model with Mark Zuckerberg's personal authorization. Works cited include 'Presumed Innocent' by Scott Turow, 'Impact' by Douglas Preston, 'The Wild Robot' by Peter Brown, 'The Fifth Season' by N.K. Jemisin, and 'Who Could That Be at This Hour?' by Lemony Snicket.
Why this Matters to You
If you are an author, publisher, or creator, this lawsuit could directly affect how your copyrighted work is used by large technology companies. The outcome may influence the legal boundaries of 'fair use' for AI training, potentially shaping future licensing practices and compensation models. For users of AI tools like Llama, the case highlights ongoing debates about the provenance and ethics of the data powering these systems. A ruling against Meta could lead to more stringent data sourcing practices, which might affect AI development timelines and capabilities.
What's Next
The lawsuit seeks statutory damages, a permanent injunction against Meta to stop further use of the plaintiffs' works, and an order for Meta to destroy all infringing copies. The represented class may include all legal or beneficial owners of registered copyrights for any book with an ISBN or journal article with a DOI or ISSN. The case will proceed in the Southern District of New York. This lawsuit follows a recent legal context; in June 2025, a federal judge dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta from a different group of authors, ruling that Meta's use of books to train an AI model was 'exceedingly transformative' and protected under fair use. The new case will test similar arguments against different factual allegations.