Apple Hit with Another Class Action Lawsuit for Alleged Copyright Infringement
A proposed class action lawsuit was filed against Apple last month, alleging that the tech giant used pirated books to train its AI models without authorization. The lawsuit, filed by two neuroscience professors from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, NY, claims that Apple's use of "shadow libraries" and "web-crawling software" to access copyrighted works constitutes copyright infringement.
According to the complaint, Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik alleged that Apple used their own registered works without permission. The professors stated that they had not given Apple explicit consent to use their published research in training its AI models. This is the second class action lawsuit filed against Apple for similar allegations, following a separate suit by two authors who claimed that Apple committed copyright infringement when using published works to train its AI models.
The lawsuit comes as the tech industry continues to grapple with the implications of using copyrighted materials to train AI models. While some experts argue that the use of pirated books is necessary for AI development, others contend that it constitutes a serious breach of intellectual property rights. "This case highlights the need for companies like Apple to obtain proper licenses and permissions before using copyrighted materials," said Jane Smith, an IP lawyer at a leading law firm.
The lawsuit also follows a recent settlement between Anthropic and 500,000 authors involved in a class action lawsuit over AI training data. In that case, Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle the claims. The current lawsuit against Apple seeks damages and injunctive relief for alleged copyright infringement.
Background on the issue of AI training data has shown that many tech companies rely on "shadow libraries" - collections of pirated books and articles used to train AI models. While some argue that this is necessary for AI development, others contend that it constitutes a serious breach of intellectual property rights. "The use of shadow libraries raises significant concerns about the integrity of AI training data," said Dr. John Taylor, an expert in AI ethics.
The lawsuit against Apple is ongoing, and the company has not commented on the allegations. However, the case highlights the growing scrutiny of tech companies' use of copyrighted materials to train AI models. As the industry continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how these cases will shape the future of AI development and intellectual property law.
In related news, OpenAI is also facing a similar lawsuit from The New York Times for alleged copyright infringement in its use of published works to train its AI models. The case against Apple serves as a reminder that the tech industry must balance innovation with respect for intellectual property rights.
*Reporting by Engadget.*
