Meta Faces Copyright Infringement Charges: Training AI with Pirated LibGen Dataset and Erasing Copyright Information
2025-01-11

Meta is entangled in a copyright infringement lawsuit due to its utilization of a dataset comprising pirated e-books and articles to train its Llama AI model. The plaintiff contends that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sanctioned the employment of the copyrighted LibGen dataset, a repository containing an extensive array of academic publications. Internal Meta employees have affirmed that LibGen indeed constitutes a pirated dataset, with engineer Nikolay Bashlykov accused of erasing copyright information from the e-books. Furthermore, Meta stands accused of downloading and disseminating LibGen content via torrenting. This case promises to ignite debates regarding how technology companies navigate the delicate balance between fair use and copyright protection.