At the start of the year, a class-action copyright lawsuit on behalf of almost 500,000 authors alleged that the AI company Anthropic pirated millions of copyrighted books to train its AI model, Claude. The case was first filed on August 19, 2024, by three authors—Andrea Bartz, Kirk Wallace Johnson, and Charles Graeber. A judge delivered […]
Anthropic’s Copyright Lawsuit: Where Does It Stand? Read More »
A coalition of thirteen major publishers, including Penguin Random House, Elsevier, and HarperCollins, has secured a $19.5 million default judgment against Anna’s Archive. The website is a sprawling shadow library that mirrors the catalogs of piracy havens Library Genesis and Sci-Hub. Anna’s Archive hosts roughly 99 million books and academic papers. The ruling was handed
Court Rules Against Anna’s Archive for Rampant Book Piracy Read More »
Thirteen major book publishers, including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Elsevier, have filed a federal lawsuit in New York against shadow library Anna’s Archive. The lawsuit is being coordinated by the Association of American Publishers (AAP). They allege massive copyright infringement on a scale they describe as “staggering.” What is Anna’s Archive? The notorious website,
Copyright Infringement: Publishers Sue Anna’s Archive Read More »
Anthropic has settled a class action lawsuit with U.S. authors over alleged copyright infringement in AI training. This marks the first major resolution in ongoing litigation against AI companies. The settlement terms remain undisclosed, with authors’ attorney Justin Nelson calling it “historic” and promising details within weeks. Massive Potential Liability Avoided A California federal judge
Anthropic Reaches Historic Copyright Infringement Settlement Read More »
Digital Audiobook Piracy Surge Digital audiobook piracy has become a significant threat to the publishing industry, with YouTube emerging as the primary platform facilitating this illegal activity. Despite audiobooks being the fastest-growing digital publishing segment—generating $2.22 billion in 2024 with 13% growth—piracy is substantially undermining potential revenues. YouTube as Piracy Hub Research reveals alarming trends
YouTube is a Mecca for Illegal Digital Audiobook Piracy Read More »
Protests and lawsuits have been increasing in recent months around the question of artificial intelligence (AI) training and copyright infringement claims. From authors, musicians, and actors to record company executives and Hollywood insiders, those involved in creative work are demanding that courts and governments address rampant violations of copyright law. AI companies claim fair use
AI Training and Copyright Infringement Update Read More »
Four major educational publishers have filed a lawsuit against Google. They accuse the tech giant of promoting pirated eBooks through its advertising platform. McGraw Hill, Cengage Learning, Elsevier, and Macmillan Learning allege that Google’s actions have caused significant harm to their businesses and violate copyright laws. Google Ignored Infringement Notices, Advertises Unauthorized Textbooks The lawsuit
Google Sued by Big Publishers for Pirated eBooks Read More »
According to a recently released report by the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), which is based in Japan, Japanese entertainment piracy in 2021, which included music, anime, manga and video games, cost these industries ¥1.9 to ¥2.2 trillion yen (US $14.2-$16.5 billion). This study, which is based on requests and questionnaires from consumers, shows a
Industry Lost 2 Trillion Yen to Manga Piracy in 2021 Read More »
One indication of how hard it is to completely eradicate book piracy is how quickly shuttered websites can find a new online home. Recently Z-Library head librarians were federally charged with copyright infringement, money laundering and wire fraud, and several of their websites were seized by the FBI. Shadow archivists—the digital librarians that maintain the
Z-Library and LibGen Move Book Piracy to the Dark Web Read More »
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Russian nationals Valeriia Ermakova and Anton Napolsky were arrested in Argentina on November 3 and charged with criminal copyright infringement in addition to money laundering and wire fraud. The Russians are allegedly the architects of the popular textbook piracy platform, Z-Library. The e-book pirates are accused of illegally
TikTok Hashtag Brings Down Z-Library Textbook Piracy Site Read More »
