In a fresh legal blow, Apple faces a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of using pirated books to train its artificial intelligence models, marking the second such case in just over a month. The complaint, filed by two neuroscience professors from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that Apple unlawfully tapped copyrighted materials to bolster its AI technology. Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik claim their registered works were among thousands of books accessed without permission through “shadow libraries” and web-crawling software, tools known for harvesting pirated content. The lawsuit, first reported by Bloomberg Law, contends that Apple’s unauthorized use of these materials to train its AI models constitutes a violation of copyright law.
This latest legal challenge follows closely on the heels of a similar lawsuit lodged against Apple last month. In that case, two authors accused the company of infringing on their copyrights by incorporating their published works into the training data for Apple Intelligence models without consent. The recurrence of such claims highlights growing scrutiny over how tech companies source data for their rapidly advancing AI systems. Apple’s practices, according to the plaintiffs, mirror those of other industry players now entangled in legal battles over intellectual property.
The broader tech industry is no stranger to these controversies. OpenAI, a prominent AI developer, is currently defending itself against a lawsuit filed by The New York Times, which alleges unauthorized use of copyrighted material to train its models. The legal landscape is evolving as courts grapple with the novel challenges posed by AI technologies. A notable precedent emerged earlier this year when Anthropic, another AI firm, settled a class action lawsuit for $1.5 billion. The settlement compensated 500,000 authors whose works were used without permission, signaling that courts may hold companies accountable for such practices.
For Apple, these lawsuits pose significant risks to its reputation and financial standing. The company has heavily promoted its AI initiatives, branding them as Apple Intelligence, but the mounting allegations of copyright infringement could undermine public trust and investor confidence. The neuroscientists’ complaint emphasizes the scale of the alleged violation, pointing to vast repositories of pirated books accessed through illicit online platforms. As the case progresses, it may shed light on the opaque processes behind AI training and force tech giants to rethink their data-sourcing strategies. With the legal battles heating up, the industry faces increasing pressure to balance innovation with respect for intellectual property rights.
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