Meta lawsuit shows clash between AI and copyright protection

Source: The post Meta lawsuit shows clash between AI and copyright protection has been created, based on the article “The New Metakleptocracy” published in “The Economic Times ” on 26 April 2025. Meta lawsuit shows clash between AI and copyright protection.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3– Science and technology-Awareness in the fields of IT, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, issues relating to intellectual property rights

Context: Meta faces a lawsuit for allegedly using millions of pirated books to train its LLAMA algorithms without permission. The case raises major questions about copyright protection, intellectual ownership, and the future value of creative work.

For detailed information on Lawsuit filed by The New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft: Copyright VS Ai read this article here

The Lawsuit Against Meta

1. Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Material: Meta is accused of using millions of books and copyrighted works without consent to save costs. Internal communications reveal that the company accepted the use but claimed it was protected under “fair use.”
2. Public Disclosure of Internal Exchanges: Released documents show Meta preferred pirated modern fiction because it was easy to parse for LLM training, undermining its claim of using material for access and preservation.
3. Meta’s Defense Strategy: Meta argues that its use was transformative and thus qualifies as fair use. It also claims that any individual book’s impact on its large language model (LLM) is statistically insignificant, less than 0.06%.

Historical Evolution of Intellectual Property

1. Early Open Access Traditions: Ancient India treated the Vedas as shruti (heard) and apauruseya (not of man), valuing continuation over authorship. Similarly, ancient Greek epics like The Iliad and The Odyssey were part of a broader oral tradition.
2. Shift Towards Ownership: As intellectual work gained monetary value, authorship and ownership became important to establish authenticity and protect economic rights.
3. Modern Importance of Copyright Protection: Today, success often depends on ideas and innovation, making the defense of intellectual property more critical than ever before.

Meta’s Motive and Approach

1. Claim of Transformation and Innovation: Meta claims LLAMA’s development depends on the use of copyrighted works to create transformative, open-source AI tools.
2. Reality of Commercial Exploitation: Internal discussions reveal that Meta aims to commodify copyrighted works, not to enhance access, but to ease LLM training.
3. Potential for Derivative and Inauthentic Outputs: Meta’s method could lead to unlicensed sequels, derivative fiction, and new works mimicking original styles, making authentic creative output redundant.

Wider Implications and Warnings

1. Emerging Techno-Hierarchy: Companies like Meta and OpenAI seek to create dominant knowledge systems by exploiting stolen creativity, sidelining true authors.
2. Historical Parallels to Knowledge Monopolies: The decline from open learning to a knowledge monopoly in ancient India mirrors today’s tech giants’ drive to capture wealth and power through intellectual theft.
3. Hope for Judicial Intervention: The article expresses hope that the courts will uphold intellectual rights and prevent history from repeating itself.

Question for practice:

Examine how the Meta lawsuit highlights the tension between innovation and intellectual property rights.