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'''Reddit, Inc. v. Anthropic PBC''' is a lawsuit in which Reddit alleges that Anthropic unlawfully scraped its platform content and user data to train Claude and other AI models, violating Reddit's user agreements and California law. On '''March 31, 2026''', the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted Reddit's motion to remand the case to California state court, rejecting Anthropic's argument that federal copyright law preempted Reddit's state-law claims.<ref name="loeb">[https://www.loeb.com/en/insights/publications/2026/04/reddit-inc-v-anthropic-pbc Loeb & Loeb, Reddit, Inc. v. Anthropic PBC — Court Grants Remand to State Court]</ref><ref name="law360">[https://www.law360.com/articles/2459570/reddit-s-ai-scraping-suit-sent-back-to-state-court Law360, Reddit's AI Scraping Suit Sent Back to State Court]</ref>
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== Case Information ==
{| class="wikitable ailaw-case-info" style="width:100%;margin:0;"
 
|+ style="font-size:125%;font-weight:bold;padding:0.5em;" | Case Information
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! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Case name
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Reddit Inc v. Anthropic PBC<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d">[https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.452341/gov.uscourts.cand.452341.60.0.pdf Court filing / case record, reviewed September 7, 2026]</ref>
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! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Court
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco (following federal remand)<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
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! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Docket
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | CGC-25-625892; federal removal case 3:25-cv-05643-TLT<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
|-
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Filed
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | June 4, 2025 (state action)<ref name="queue-reddit">[https://redditinc.com/hubfs/Reddit%20Inc/Content/PDFs/Docket%20Stamped%20Complaint.pdf Reddit v. Anthropic, stamped original complaint, filed June 4, 2025, p. 1]</ref><ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
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| '''Case Name''' || Reddit, Inc. v. Anthropic PBC
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Judge(s)
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Trina L. Thompson (federal remand); state judge not verified<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
|-
|-
| '''Court''' || Originally filed in California state court; removed to U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; remanded to state court March 31, 2026
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Plaintiffs
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Reddit, Inc.<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
|-
|-
| '''Plaintiff''' || Reddit, Inc.
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Defendants
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Anthropic PBC<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
|-
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| '''Defendant''' || Anthropic PBC
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Case type
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Civil contract and related state-law action<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
|-
|-
| '''Claims''' || Breach of contract, unjust enrichment, trespass to chattels, tortious interference with contract, violation of California Business and Professions Code
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Claims / issues
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Contract, unjust enrichment, trespass to chattels, tortious interference and unfair competition<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
|-
|-
| '''Key Ruling''' || Remand to state court (March 31, 2026) — federal copyright law does not preempt Reddit's state-law claims
! scope="row" style="width:30%;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" | Status
| style="vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | Remand order signed March 28 and filed March 30, 2026; action returned to San Francisco Superior Court. Later developments have not been verified.<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
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|}


== Background ==
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Reddit filed suit against Anthropic alleging that since approximately 2022, Anthropic engaged in unauthorized scraping of Reddit's platform to obtain user-generated content for training its Claude AI models. Reddit contends that Anthropic's access violated Reddit's user agreement restrictions on data access methods and bypassed technical safeguards, constituting breach of contract, trespass to chattels, and violations of California's unfair competition law.<ref name="loeb"/><ref name="iipla">[https://iipla.org/anthropic-reddit-spar-over-keeping-ai-case-in-federal-court/ IIPLA, Anthropic, Reddit Spar Over Keeping AI Case in Federal Court]</ref>
'''Reddit Inc v. Anthropic PBC''' is a civil contract and related state-law action in Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco (following federal remand).<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />


== Remand Ruling (March 31, 2026) ==
== Claims and issues ==
Contract, unjust enrichment, trespass to chattels, tortious interference and unfair competition.<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />


Anthropic removed the case to federal court, arguing that Reddit's claims were preempted by the federal Copyright Act under 17 U.S.C. § 301. On March 31, 2026, the federal court granted Reddit's motion to remand, holding that the Copyright Act does not preempt Reddit's state-law claims. The court found that each of Reddit's claims contains "extra elements" qualitatively different from copyright's exclusive rights, including:
== Procedural history ==
 
Remand order signed March 28 and filed March 30, 2026; action returned to San Francisco Superior Court. Later developments have not been verified.<ref name="case-record-43754c0feab9253d" />
* Breach of user agreement restrictions on access methods
* Bypassing technical safeguards and infrastructure protection measures
* Privacy protections and consumer fairness beyond mere reproduction
 
The court applied the two-part preemption test under § 301: (1) subject matter within copyright (satisfied, as Reddit's content is original expression), and (2) equivalent rights (not satisfied due to the extra elements). The case was remanded to California state court.<ref name="loeb"/><ref name="law360"/>
 
== Significance ==
 
The remand ruling is significant because it means AI training data cases involving state-law claims (breach of contract, trespass to chattels, unfair competition) may proceed in state court, even where the underlying content is copyrightable. This avoids federal court's exclusive jurisdiction and allows plaintiffs to pursue broader remedies under state law. The ruling also signals that AI companies cannot automatically federalize scraping disputes by raising copyright preemption defenses.
 
Anthropic may appeal the remand order. In state court, Anthropic may still raise fair use and other defenses.<ref name="loeb"/>
 
== See Also ==


== See also ==
* [[News Reddit-v-Anthropic-Remand-2026|April 26, 2026 — Reddit v. Anthropic: Federal Court Remands AI Scraping Case to State Court]]
* [[News Reddit-v-Anthropic-Remand-2026|April 26, 2026 — Reddit v. Anthropic: Federal Court Remands AI Scraping Case to State Court]]
* [[Kadrey v Meta Platforms Inc|Kadrey v. Meta Platforms]]
* [[Kadrey v Meta Platforms Inc|Kadrey v. Meta Platforms]]
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== References ==
== References ==
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<references />
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[[Category:Copyright Litigation]]
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[[Category:Data Privacy]]
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[[Category:DMCA]]
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[[Category:Cases]]

Latest revision as of 12:33, 19 September 2026

Case Information
Case name Reddit Inc v. Anthropic PBC[1]
Court Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco (following federal remand)[1]
Docket CGC-25-625892; federal removal case 3:25-cv-05643-TLT[1]
Filed June 4, 2025 (state action)[2][1]
Judge(s) Trina L. Thompson (federal remand); state judge not verified[1]
Plaintiffs Reddit, Inc.[1]
Defendants Anthropic PBC[1]
Case type Civil contract and related state-law action[1]
Claims / issues Contract, unjust enrichment, trespass to chattels, tortious interference and unfair competition[1]
Status Remand order signed March 28 and filed March 30, 2026; action returned to San Francisco Superior Court. Later developments have not been verified.[1]

Reddit Inc v. Anthropic PBC is a civil contract and related state-law action in Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco (following federal remand).[1]

Claims and issues

Contract, unjust enrichment, trespass to chattels, tortious interference and unfair competition.[1]

Procedural history

Remand order signed March 28 and filed March 30, 2026; action returned to San Francisco Superior Court. Later developments have not been verified.[1]

See also

References