A recent US federal judge's ruling in the case against Anthropic may change the approach to copyright material use in AI.
Judge's Fair Use Decision
US District Judge William Alsup ruled that Anthropic's training of its AI model using the works of authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson qualifies as fair use. This ruling is among the first to address fair use in the generative AI era. Alsup wrote: "Like any reader aspiring to be a writer, Anthropic's models were trained not to replicate or supplant these works, but to create something new."
Issues with Storing Pirated Content
Despite favorable aspects for Anthropic, the judge also noted that the storage of over 7 million pirated books in a "central library" was beyond legal boundaries. He emphasized that this did not fall under fair use. A trial is scheduled for December to assess potential damages that Anthropic may owe.
Impact on the AI Industry
This case is part of a broader wave of lawsuits against AI companies like OpenAI and Meta regarding how they use copyrighted materials. Judge Alsup's ruling supports AI developers who argue that their models generate new content and should not be obligated to compensate every copyright holder.
The ruling in the Anthropic case sets a precedent in copyright law and could influence data collection methods for training AI. The legal implications of how materials are stored will likely shape the future of technology in this field.
