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AI copyright news, graded by source

Court rulings, company filings and allegations in the copyright cases against AI companies and pirate libraries, over books, articles, music, images, video and code. Checked for new filings every three hours; items are posted after review, so some appear later. Get these by e-mail · Court filings, free to read

Each item is graded by its source: a court’s ruling or order; a company’s own filing about itself; a defendant’s filing arguing its side; a plaintiffs’ filing; the claims in a complaint (allegation); or press reporting.

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Company filingApril 30, 2025Kadrey v. Meta Platforms, Inc. · N.D. Cal. 3:23-cv-03417

Meta's filings put prices on book licensing: a publisher wanted $45 million for 25,000 books, and another quoted $30,000 per fiction title

In a reply brief, Meta argues that licensing books for training was not workable, and cites figures from its own records. It says one textbook publisher sought $45 million for three years' access to 25,000 books. It describes another company's agreement with a publisher, with names redacted, that could deliver at most 5,000 titles at $5,000 each, of which about 1,800 were delivered at a cost of more than $9 million, and which by its terms was a contract for delivery and not a copyright license. A Meta email chain from spring 2023, filed later, records a publisher's proposal of $10,000 per series romance book and $30,000 per fiction book, with a minimum commitment of $20 million. Meta's corporate witness testified that its licensing effort for books was paused in early April 2023. The court's June 2025 order found Meta turned to LibGen after failing to obtain licenses. These are Meta's own statements and documents; publisher names are redacted.

Meta's reply brief (Dkt. 572) ↗Meta email chain on a publisher's pricing proposal (Dkt. 612-4) ↗

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What the labels mean

Every item says what kind of source it rests on. A court ruling or order is the court's own statement. A company filing is what a defendant says about itself. A government filing is a statement by a government agency that is not a party to the case, such as a statement of interest; it is the government's position, not a ruling. An allegation is what a complaint or motion claims and has not been decided. Reported means press reporting we have not confirmed from the primary document. Summaries are our own; follow the links for the source.

This page is general information, not legal advice. An allegation is not a finding. Whether any of this matters for a particular work or claim is a question for a lawyer.