Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Use of Pirated E-Books

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing legal challenges regarding the company's use of pirated e-books to train its AI models, specifically the Llama series, using the LibGen dataset. In a deposition, Zuckerberg likened Meta's actions to YouTube's efforts to manage copyrighted content, arguing that utilizing such datasets is not unreasonable despite the controversy. Internal communications revealed that Meta's leadership had concerns about the legality of using LibGen, which is known for hosting pirated content, yet Zuckerberg reportedly approved its use for AI training. Writers including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sarah Silverman have accused Meta of copyright infringement, asserting that the company knowingly used copyrighted materials without permission. The case highlights broader issues of copyright and fair use as AI companies increasingly rely on existing texts for training. The plaintiffs' amended complaint has revived allegations of copyright infringement and added new claims of computer fraud against Meta.