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French Publishers and Authors Sue Meta for Economic Parasitism in First AI Copyright Lawsuit in France

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Updated Mar 13, 2025, 01:20 PM

French publishers and authors have initiated legal action against Meta Platforms Inc. in a Paris court, accusing the company of using their copyrighted works without permission to train its generative artificial intelligence (AI) model. The lawsuit, filed by the National Publishing Union (SNE), the National Union of Authors and Composers (SNAC), and the Society of People of Letters (SGDL), alleges that Meta engaged in 'massive use of copyrighted works without authorization'. The plaintiffs claim that Meta's actions constitute economic 'parasitism' and are seeking to protect the creative industry from what they describe as AI's plundering of their works and cultural heritage. The case is the first of its kind against an AI giant in France, highlighting a growing tension between tech companies and the creative sector over data usage rights. The French lawsuit comes in the context of the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act, which mandates that generative AI systems comply with copyright laws and be transparent about their training data sources. Meta's use of copyrighted material for AI training has also been challenged in the United States, where similar lawsuits have been filed against the company. The plaintiffs have described the legal fight as a 'David vs. Goliath battle' and accused Meta of 'monumental looting'. Specifically, Meta is alleged to have used the Books3 database, which includes around 200,000 books, to train its Llama AI model. The investment in AI by tech giants is significant, with an estimated 700 billion dollars spent by the GAFAM companies. Notable authors like Stephen King and Jonathan Franzen have also seen their works used in similar contexts, underscoring the widespread nature of the issue.

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#Paris #National Publishing Union #SNE #SNAC #SGDL #Meta #AI #France #French lawsuit #United States #Books3 #Llama AI #GAFAM #Stephen King #Jonathan Franzen

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Sources

bloomberg.com(3)techcrunch.com(3)nation.africa(2)france24.com(2)

FAZ Feuilleton

@FAZ_Feuilleton

AI training and copyright: “Monumental Plunder” https://t.co/JFIbGXmEMg

Clubic

@Clubic

The American giant would have used French works to feed its language models. As a result, Meta will have to justify itself before French courts. https://t.co/D2Kyr0rvVb

Glenn Gabe

@glenngabe

More AI lawsuits -> French publishers and authors sue Meta for allegedly training AI on their books without consent, saying they have evidence of “massive” copyright breaches "The case is thought to be the first such action against an AI giant in the country. Meta is facing… https://t.co/loZKuyu5Ga