French publishers and authors have announced their intention to take legal action against Meta, alleging the company utilized their works without permission to train its artificial intelligence models.
Three associations are setting the stage for a courtroom confrontation in Paris, following claims of extensive unauthorized use of copyrighted material by Meta to develop its generative AI capabilities.
The National Publishing Union, representing numerous book publishers, reports finding a considerable number of its members’ works within Meta’s data sets, as stated by Vincent Montagne, the group’s president.
Meta, to date, has not provided a comment in response to these allegations.
The company has integrated AI-driven chatbot assistants across its popular platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Montagne has accused Meta of failing to respect copyright laws and engaging in parasitic practices.
Another organization, the National Union of Authors and Composers, representing 700 creatives such as writers and composers, calls this lawsuit essential to shield its members from AI’s potential exploitation of their works and cultural heritage.
According to the union’s president, Francois Peyrony, there’s additional concern about AI’s role in generating ‘fake books’ that unfairly compete with genuine publications.
The Societe des Gens de Lettres, representing authors, joins in the legal quest, demanding the complete eradication of data directories assembled by Meta without permission to advance its AI model.
The European Union’s robust Artificial Intelligence Act mandates that generative AI systems conform to the bloc’s detailed copyright laws while being transparent about the source materials utilized for training.
This lawsuit represents a fresh skirmish in the ongoing conflict pitting creative and publishing sectors against technology companies over copyright and data use issues.
Last month, British musicians took a stand against the U.K. government’s proposed adjustments to AI regulations by releasing a silent album, fearing these changes could undermine their creative control.
Recently, media giant Thomson Reuters secured a legal win against a defunct legal research firm about fair use in copyright disputes relevant to AI, as other cases involving visual artists and news outlets continue to be evaluated in U.S. courts.
