GermanyThree publishers and an author have filed a lawsuit against Google in the US over alleged massive copyright violations. They claim Google improperly used protected works to train its Gemini AI model. The plaintiffs include Hachette, Cengage, Elsevier, and author Scott Turow. They accuse Google of copying works provided for other services like Google Books and Google Scholar to develop its large language model (LLM), Gemini. The lawsuit argues that while Google is allowed to sell copyrighted works as e-books or display searchable snippets, developing commercial AI products is not covered under these permissions. Additionally, Google allegedly downloaded content from known piracy sources and copied paywalled material. Internal discussions reportedly acknowledged potential legal risks, including hefty fines, and Google removed metadata to obscure the origin of training materials. This follows similar lawsuits against other AI companies like Anthropic, which offered authors multi-billion-dollar settlements.
Bias read (Progressive): The article frames Google’s actions as part of a broader pattern of corporate exploitation and legal evasion, aligning with progressive critiques of big tech. It emphasizes the ethical and legal implications of AI development at the expense of creators, using strong language such as 'massive' and 'g
