A federal judge is letting an AI-related copyright lawsuit against Meta proceed, though he dismissed one claim on Friday.
In a case referred to as Kadrey vs. Meta , authors Richard Kadrey, Sarah Silverman, and Ta-Nehisi Coates accused the global tech giant of using their works to train its Llama models and removing copyright notices to hide the alleged infringement.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled last month that he was disinclined to dismiss the entire case, a stance he reiterated in his formal order.
Chhabria said the authors’ claim of copyright infringement is “obviously a concrete injury sufficient for standing” and that they “adequately alleged that Meta intentionally removed CMI [copyright management information] to conceal copyright infringement.”
He added that these details create a “reasonable, if not particularly strong inference” that Meta eliminated CMI to keep Llama from providing clues that it relied on copyrighted material.
Meta has defended itself by asserting fair use, arguing that its training practices are legal. The company also contended that the authors had no right to sue, but the judge dismissed that argument.
However, the judge dismissed the authors’ claims under the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, pointing out they did not assert that Meta accessed their computers or servers, only their text in the form of published books.
Chhabria also criticized what he characterized as “over-the-top” arguments by the authors’ lawyers, though he emphasized that the complaint itself was sound enough to move forward.
He added that both sides will get chances to submit additional evidence, setting the stage for what could become a major legal battle about how AI firms train their systems.
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