Apple Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Books to Train AI

Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging the company illegally used copyrighted books without permission to train its artificial intelligence systems. The lawsuit targets Apple's "OpenELM" large language models, accusing the company of using a known dataset of pirated books. This comes days after Amazon.com and Alphabet-backed Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle similar copyright claims. The lawsuit reflects broader industry tensions as AI companies balance innovation with intellectual property rights.

Apple Inc. is under fire following a class-action lawsuit alleging the company illegally used copyrighted books without permission to train its artificial intelligence systems. The lawsuit, filed in the federal court in Northern California, targets Apple's "OpenELM" large language models, accusing the company of using a known dataset of pirated books [1].

The lawsuit, filed by authors Grady Hendrix and Jennifer Roberson, claims that Apple copied protected works without consent and without credit or compensation. The authors allege that their works were part of the pirated dataset used to train Apple's AI models [1].

This lawsuit comes days after Amazon.com and Alphabet-backed Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle similar copyright claims. Anthropic, an AI startup, faced a lawsuit from authors who accused the company of using their books to train its AI chatbot Claude without permission [2]. The settlement, if approved, would be the largest publicly reported copyright recovery in history, larger than any other copyright class action settlement or any individual copyright case litigated to final judgment [2].

The case against Apple is part of a growing trend of legal battles over the use of copyrighted material in AI training. Microsoft and Meta Platforms have also faced claims over the alleged misuse of copyrighted material in AI training [1]. The lawsuit reflects broader industry tensions as AI companies balance innovation with intellectual property rights.

The lawsuit against Apple accused the company of using a known body of pirated books to train its "OpenELM" large language models. The lawsuit alleges that Apple has not attempted to pay these authors for their contributions to this potentially lucrative venture [1].

Apple and lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. The lawsuit is the latest in a wave of cases from authors, news outlets, and others accusing major technology companies of violating legal protections for their works [1].

The case highlights the ongoing debate over copyright protections in the AI era. Companies have adopted divergent strategies, with some pursuing formal licensing agreements while others rely on fair use doctrine to justify training on copyrighted materials. The US Copyright Office released major guidance in May 2025 addressing when AI developers need permission to use copyrighted works [1].

The settlement in the Anthropic case, if approved, could significantly impact the trajectory of other pending litigation between AI platforms and published authors. The case reflects broader tensions within the AI industry regarding content licensing and fair use [2].

References:

[1] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/apple-sued-by-authors-over-use-books-ai-training-2025-09-05/
[2] https://ppc.land/anthropic-agrees-to-1-5-billion-settlement-in-largest-copyright-case/