Elsevier Inc v Meta Platforms Inc
Elsevier Inc. v. Meta Platforms Inc. is a proposed copyright class action filed in federal court in New York by author Scott Turow and publishers Cengage, Elsevier, Hachette, Macmillan, and McGraw Hill against Meta Platforms and Mark Zuckerberg over alleged use of copyrighted works to train Meta's Llama AI models.[1][2]
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Case name | Elsevier Inc. et al. v. Meta Platforms, Inc. and Mark Zuckerberg[2] |
| Court | Federal court in New York[1] |
| Plaintiffs | Scott Turow, Cengage, Elsevier, Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, and a proposed class of copyright holders[1] |
| Defendants | Meta Platforms, Inc. and Mark Zuckerberg[1] |
| Claims | Copyright infringement and removal of copyright-management information related to Llama training data[1][2] |
| Status | Newly filed proposed class action; Meta has said it will fight the lawsuit aggressively.[1] |
Allegations
The plaintiffs allege that Meta scraped, torrented, and downloaded unauthorized copies of millions of copyrighted works from alleged pirate sites to develop and operate the Llama generative AI system.[2] They also allege that Meta removed copyright-management information to obscure use of the works in AI training and that Llama can reproduce versions of books, journal articles, and textbooks or imitate authorial styles.[1]
Relief Sought
The complaint seeks class certification, a declaration that Meta's practices violate the Copyright Act, injunctive relief barring future infringement, monetary damages, and an accounting of Meta's training materials and methods.[2]
Significance
The case adds a major publisher-led challenge to the growing body of AI training-data litigation against model developers, and it is notable because the complaint names Zuckerberg personally and alleges day-to-day involvement in Llama development decisions.[1]