Judge Denies Meta's Motion to Dismiss Copyright Lawsuit
A US federal judge has denied Meta's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit claiming it infringed on over 2,300 copyrighted pornographic movies by downloading them to train its AI models. The judge ruled that Meta's actions were plausible grounds for copyright infringement. The lawsuit seeks damages up to $359 million.
Key points
- Meta's motion to dismiss a copyright infringement lawsuit was denied by US federal judge Eumi K. Lee.
- The lawsuit, filed by Strike 3 Holdings and Counterlife Media, alleges that Meta downloaded over 2,300 copyrighted pornographic movies to train its AI models between 2018 and 2025.
- The judge found that Meta's actions were plausible grounds for direct, vicarious, and contributory copyright infringement.
- Strike 3 Holdings and Counterlife Media are seeking damages up to $359 million.
Judge Denies Meta's Motion to Dismiss Copyright Lawsuit
A US federal judge has denied Meta's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit claiming it infringed on over 2,300 copyrighted pornographic movies by downloading them to train its AI models.
The lawsuit, filed by Strike 3 Holdings and Counterlife Media, alleges that Meta used the popular torrenting program BitTorrent to download the movies between 2018 and 2025. The companies claim that Meta's actions were a form of copyright infringement, and are seeking damages up to $359 million.
In the order denying Meta's motion to dismiss, US District Judge Eumi K. Lee stated that the companies had plausibly alleged that Meta was liable for direct, vicarious, and contributory copyright infringement. Meta had previously denied the claims, stating that the downloads were for 'personal use'.
The ruling is a significant development in the ongoing case, which has raised questions about the use of copyrighted materials in AI training. The outcome of the lawsuit is likely to have implications for the tech industry and its use of copyrighted content.
The case is ongoing, and it remains to be seen how Meta will proceed. However, the denial of the motion to dismiss is a significant setback for the company, and may increase the pressure on it to settle the lawsuit.
Sources
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