Meta Cites ISP Ruling in Defense Against AI Data Scraping Lawsuits

Meta is attempting to leverage a recent Supreme Court decision to shield itself from copyright lawsuits related to how it gathered data for artificial intelligence training. The company filed a notice last week in a case brought by Entrepreneur Media, signaling it will argue that the ruling in *Cox Communications v. BMI*—which found internet service providers not liable for user piracy—should also protect its own activities.

The legal action centers on Meta's use of torrent networks to acquire a reported 80 terabytes of data. The plaintiffs claim this method, which involves users sharing file fragments to accelerate downloads, constitutes contributory copyright infringement. They argue Meta knowingly facilitated the transfer of pirated material. This claim is viewed as a more significant legal threat than a separate direct infringement case from authors, as it doesn't require proving entire works were distributed.

A judge recently allowed the contributory infringement claim to proceed within a broader class action. Meta's emerging defense strategy suggests it will ask courts to apply the logic of the Cox decision, which clarified standards for secondary liability, to its motion to dismiss. The company stated it will soon file a detailed brief outlining this position. The outcome could influence how courts assess liability for large-scale data collection methods used in AI development.

Source: Ars Technica