A significant copyright showdown is underway as a group of high-profile authors has launched a lawsuit against Microsoft, alleging the company used nearly 200,000 pirated books to train its Megatron artificial intelligence. This legal challenge intensifies the ongoing debate about the legality and ethics of using copyrighted works in the development of AI models. The authors claim the AI learned to mimic their “syntax, voice, and themes” from these illicitly obtained materials.
The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, seeks an injunction to prevent further infringement by Microsoft and statutory damages of up to $150,000 for each work allegedly misused. The plaintiffs argue that the enormous datasets are fundamental to how generative AI models learn to produce new content. They specifically allege that the pirated books were essential for the AI’s ability to imitate human creative expression.
Microsoft has not yet commented on the lawsuit, and the authors’ attorney has declined to speak on the matter. This case emerges amidst a series of other landmark copyright decisions in the AI domain, including recent rulings involving Anthropic and Meta in California.
The legal landscape surrounding AI and copyright is rapidly evolving, with a growing number of lawsuits spanning various media types. From news organizations like The New York Times and Dow Jones suing AI companies over their content, to record labels and photography companies taking action, the scope of these disputes is widening. Tech companies consistently argue for “fair use,” contending that their AI models produce “transformative” content and that stringent copyright enforcement could hinder AI innovation.
