Recent developments in the United States show the ongoing legal conflicts between artificial intelligence companies and copyright holders. A federal judge ruled that Anthropic’s use of copyrighted books for training its AI system was protected under fair use. However, the company was found in breach of copyright law for storing pirated copies of millions of titles. This case exemplifies the complex landscape of copyright law as it applies to AI technology.
Fair Use Doctrine in AI Training
The fair use doctrine allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission. In the context of AI, courts assess whether the use is transformative. Anthropic’s case demonstrated this principle. The judge deemed its training method “exceedingly transformative.” This indicates that the AI’s purpose was to create new content rather than replicate existing works.
Copyright Infringement and Storage of Pirated Material
While the training of AI models may qualify as fair use, the storage of pirated works does not. Anthropic’s central library containing over seven million pirated books was ruled as copyright infringement. This distinction is critical in understanding the limits of fair use. The ruling suggests that even transformative use must not involve unlawful storage of copyrighted materials.
Meta’s Legal Victory
In a similar case, Meta successfully defended its use of books by 13 authors for training its AI models. The court ruled that Meta’s actions fell under fair use. The decision was influenced by the lack of evidence showing financial harm to the authors. This ruling may set a precedent for future cases involving AI and copyright.