Lawsuit: Allegations of Illegal Use of Copyrighted Content to Train AI

The main associations of publishers and writers in France have filed a lawsuit against the tech giant Meta, accusing it of using copyrighted content on a large scale to train its artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The lawsuit joins a number of similar lawsuits related to copyright and its misuse by technology companies.

• A "monumental robbery" of copyrighted content

The complaint was filed in Paris by the National Union of Publishers (SNE), the National Union of Authors and Composers (SNAC) and the Society of People of Letters (SGDL). The organizations allege that Meta illegally used writers' works to develop its generative AI models without asking permission or offering compensation.

"We are witnessing a monumental robbery," said Maia Bensimon, general delegate of SNAC.

"It is like the fight between David and Goliath. This procedure will serve as an example," added Renaud Lefebvre, general director of SNE. This is the first action of this type filed in France against an AI company, but it is part of a global wave of lawsuits against technology giants accused of unauthorized use of protected content.

• Similar lawsuits in the US against Meta and OpenAI

In the United States, Meta was already sued in 2023 by actress and author Sarah Silverman, along with other writers, for unauthorized use of their books in training the Llama language model. Novelist Christopher Farnsworth also filed a similar lawsuit in 2024 against Meta, and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is facing multiple lawsuits in the US, Canada and India for similar practices.

Meta has not officially responded to the allegations. The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, could face major legal penalties if it is found to have illegally used copyrighted content. The legal battle could have a significant impact on AI regulation in Europe and how high-tech companies can use data to develop artificial intelligence.