Publishers seek to join lawsuit against Google over AI training
Hachette and Cengage are seeking to join a lawsuit accusing Google of using copyrighted material to train its AI systems.Summary
Publishers Hachette Book Group and Cengage Group have requested to intervene in a class action lawsuit against Google, alleging the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials for training its artificial intelligence systems. The publishers claim Google committed “one of the most prolific infringements of copyrighted materials in history” by copying content from their books and textbooks without permission to develop its AI capabilities. They cited examples including works by authors Scott Turow and N.K. Jemisin, used to train Google’s Gemini model. The intervention aims to strengthen the case, particularly regarding legal and factual aspects related to publishing. This lawsuit is part of a growing wave of legal challenges from artists, authors, and copyright holders against tech companies regarding AI training practices; Anthropic recently settled a similar case for $1.5 billion. The court will now decide whether to allow the publishers to join the lawsuit, which could significantly increase the potential damages sought.
(Source：The Nation)