Federal Judge rules Meta must face copyright infringement claims

A federal judge has ruled that a copyright infringement case against Meta, brought by a group of authors, will be allowed to proceed. The case focuses on Meta’s use of data to train its generative AI models, including its Llama AI, and could set a new legal precedent for AI-related copyright violations.

The lawsuit, filed in 2023, includes high-profile authors such as comedian Sarah Silverman, who allege that Meta used their copyrighted works without consent to train its AI systems. The authors claim that the AI models were able to reproduce their work with striking accuracy, demonstrating unauthorised use of their material. The suit further alleges that Meta intentionally removed copyright management information (CMI) from the works to conceal the infringement.

Meta attempted to have the case dismissed on various legal grounds and sought to prevent CEO Mark Zuckerberg from testifying. However, internal Meta communications suggest that Zuckerberg approved the use of 'likely pirated' material to accelerate AI development in response to competition from OpenAI.

As per reports, Judge Vince Chhabria ruled that the authors' claims of copyright infringement represent "a concrete injury sufficient for standing" and agreed they had adequately alleged Meta’s removal of CMI. However, the judge dismissed claims under the California fraud act due to a lack of precedent.

The trial's progression may force Meta to disclose how it accessed and used data to train its AI models. This could open the door to further lawsuits and potentially significant financial penalties.

The case is set to move forward, with Zuckerberg expected to appear in court.