AI Industry Appeals to Block Massive Copyright Class Action

Anthropic and a coalition of AI industry groups are urging a federal appeals court to block what they describe as the largest copyright class action ever certified, according to Ars Technica. The lawsuit, initiated by three authors, alleges that Anthropic illegally used copyrighted books to train its AI models, potentially allowing up to 7 million claimants to join the litigation.

The class action was certified by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, and if each claimant pursued statutory damages, Anthropic could face hundreds of billions of dollars in liability. Anthropic has petitioned the appeals court, arguing that the class certification was rushed and lacked the rigorous analysis required under federal law.

Industry groups, including the Consumer Technology Association and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, have filed briefs supporting Anthropic's appeal. They warn that allowing such massive copyright claims could chill investment and innovation in the AI sector. The case is set to go to trial in four months, posing a significant threat to the generative AI industry.