French publishers and authors have taken legal action against Meta, accusing the tech giant of unlawfully using copyrighted works to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models. The lawsuit, filed in a Paris court earlier this week, adds to the several legal queries institutions are making over AI’s use of publicly available content on social media.
According to a Wednesday report from the Associated Press, three trade organizations, Syndicat National de l’Édition (SNE), the Société des Gens de Lettres (SGDL), and the Syndicat National des Auteurs et des Compositeurs (SNAC) allege that Meta engaged in the “massive use of copyrighted works without authorization” to develop its generative AI model, Llama.
SNE, which represents major publishers such as Hachette and Editis, said it attempted to communicate with Meta but received no response.
“We have gathered evidence of extensive copyright violations,” SNE President Vincent Montagne stated during a press conference. The plaintiffs have also notified the European Commission, asserting that Meta’s practices violated EU regulations on artificial intelligence.
AI technology is exploiting artists, French publications say
Francois Peyrony, president of SNAC, said that AI technology is not only exploiting creative works but also generating “fake books” that compete with real publications. The plaintiffs are demanding the “complete removal” of Meta’s unauthorized data directories used for training AI models.
Under the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, AI developers are required to comply with the bloc’s copyright laws and disclose the sources of training data. Yet, AI firms, including Meta, have reportedly resisted revealing how they acquired the data to train chatbots.
According to a joint statement from its president, Vincent Montagne, the National Publishing Union, which represents book publishers, claimed that “numerous works” from its members have appeared in Meta’s data pool.
The case against Meta is part of many legal battles over AI training practices in the world. In December 2023, The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft over allegations of “stealing content” from its articles. Another case was filed in April 2024 against Amazon-backed Anthropic by a group of authors.
In Canada, a legal case against Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok will proceed after a judge ruled against the companies’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit. A group of Ontario school boards had accused the social media giants of creating platforms designed for compulsive use, negatively impacting students’ mental health and learning.
Since March 2024, 14 Ontario school boards, including Toronto’s public and Catholic school boards, have all sued the tech firms. They claim that social media platforms are “negligently designed” and have “rewired the way children think, behave, and learn.”
Ontario Superior Court Justice Janet Leiper ruled on Friday that the lawsuit has “merit” enough to proceed to trial. In her decision, she explained that if the allegations are proven, they could lead to public nuisance charges on the social platform.
“An addictive product that interferes with the mental health and educational aspirations of students requires a remedy,” Leiper wrote.
The group that was leading the case, Schools for Social Media Change, said that the court’s decision was the right one.
“This is the first step in achieving justice for the education system and the next generation of leaders,” said Duncan Embury, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.
A Snapchat spokesperson defended the platform on Tuesday, propounding that it was “intentionally designed” to be different from others, as it opens directly to a camera rather than a content feed and does not feature public likes or comments.
“We recognize there is always more work to do, and we believe Snapchat helps close friends stay connected, feel happy, all through the challenges of adolescence,” the spokesperson said.
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