For journalists

Data and charts for reporting on AI and pirated books

Which books were in the pirate libraries named in the AI copyright cases, when each library listed them, and what the court record says about who downloaded what. Every claim is graded by its source.

Request a press codeFree reports on the authors in your story, for reporting. Embed a chartLive, credited charts for your article. Copy one line of code. Licensing and republishingData sets, bulk lookups or uses beyond our free reuse terms. Check a name nowThe free check gives counts for any author in seconds.

The data at a glance

22.4Mcatalog records: LibGen, Z-Library, Internet Archive and Books3

25dated LibGen catalog snapshots, Nov. 2015 – June 2025

9.28MU.S. Copyright Office records for literary works, 1978–2025

1.5Mregistrations matched to catalog records

Sources and dates for every figure are on the Methodology page. Catalog metadata only: we hold no book files.

How we grade what we say

Court finding or orderWhat a judge found or ordered. Linked to the filing.

Company's own statementA defendant's filing, answer or paper, about itself.

AllegationWhat a complaint claims. Not decided.

Our analysisOur counts and matches from public catalogs and Copyright Office records. Not a court finding.

Please keep the grade when you quote us: an allegation reported as a finding is the most common error in coverage of these cases.

Embed a chart

Each chart stays current and carries its credit line. Pick one, check the preview, and paste the code into your article. Images (PNG or SVG) and CSV downloads are in the Export menu under every chart on the site.

Chart

The last line is an optional script that sizes the frame to the chart, so nothing is cut off on phones. If your site strips scripts, leave it out; the frame keeps the height written in the code. Charts embed in the light style; add &theme=dark to the address for the dark one.

Open the chart's page

How to cite

Source: PayAuthors.com analysis of dated LibGen, Z-Library, Books3 and Internet Archive catalog records and U.S. Copyright Office registrations (payauthors.com).

Charts, figures and tables may be shared unaltered with this credit and a link (reuse terms). For anything else, including data sets, bulk lookups or translations of our charts, ask us below.

Press kit

Download the logo (PNG)

About PayAuthors. PayAuthors is a research service that checks authors' names and ISBNs against dated copies of the pirate-library catalogs named in the AI copyright cases (LibGen, Z-Library and the Books3 file list), and the Internet Archive’s lending-library catalog, which is a nonprofit library, not a pirate site, and matches each book to its U.S. Copyright Office registration. It uses catalog metadata only and holds no book files. Reports are research support, not legal advice.

Background: the lawsuits, company by company · timeline · latest rulings and filings · what a match shows · methodology.

Request a press code or ask about licensing

We reply by e-mail, usually within one business day. Press codes are for reporting and are free.