A group of publishers and authors has filed a class-action lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of using their copyrighted works to train its Gemini AI platform. The lawsuit, which includes Hachette, Cengage, Elsevier, author Scott Turow, and S.C.R.I.B.E., claims Google intentionally removed or altered copyright information to conceal that its Gemini models were trained on stolen materials. The case adds to a growing list of legal actions against AI companies, including Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, argues that Google trained Gemini on copies of books provided through Google Books and books uploaded to the Google Play store, despite lacking permission. The plaintiffs claim Google illegally copied works from these programs for AI training, knowing it lacked authorization. They also cite an internal Google document that allegedly warned of the potential for “$10Bs-$100Bs in potential fines” if the company continued to use copyrighted books for AI training. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit highlights the complex legal landscape surrounding AI training, as two early court decisions in California ruled that using copyrighted works for AI training is considered “fair use” under U.S. copyright law. However, Anthropic was fined $1.5 billion for pirating works it trained on, marking the largest payout in U.S. copyright law history. Around half a million writers were eligible for payments of at least $3,000, though many opted out to pursue further legal action.
Source: techcrunch
