Why Google has been sued by publishers in the US
What's the story
A consortium of leading publishers, including Hachette, Cengage, and Elsevier, has sued tech giant Google. They allege that the company used their copyrighted material without permission to train its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Gemini. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. It seeks class action status and accuses Google of "reproducing millions of copyrighted works without permission."
Accusations
Plaintiffs allege Google copied their works without permission
The lawsuit also includes author Scott Turow, known for his crime thrillers like Presumed Innocent.
The plaintiffs allege that Google copied their books and journal articles without permission, even from "known pirate sources."
They claim this was done with full knowledge of the fact that such conduct violates copyright law.
Competition concerns
'Gemini competes directly with plaintiffs' works'
The lawsuit further alleges that Google's AI system, Gemini, competes directly with the works of the plaintiffs and their class.
It says these substitutes take many forms, including verbatim and near-verbatim copies of portions or entire works, replacement chapters of academic textbooks, summaries and alternate versions of famous novels.
The plaintiffs also claim that Gemini tailors outputs to mimic the expressive elements and creative choices of specific authors.
AI impact
Plaintiffs argue Google's Gemini gives an unfair advantage
The plaintiffs argue that Google's Gemini can create a 100-page murder mystery in 20 minutes "for a mere $0.39."
They contend this unprecedented scale and speed of content creation gives Gemini an unfair advantage over traditional publishers.
The lawsuit also emphasizes that all of Google's copyright infringement was willful, and the tech giant could have easily paid for proper licensing of their content for training purposes.
Industry impact
Lawsuit warns of 'widespread and permanent damage' to literary industry
The lawsuit warns that if left unaddressed, Google's actions could cause widespread and permanent damage to the literary industry and authors.
It also says this would weaken the incentive to create, which is at the core of the Copyright Act.
The plaintiffs argue that while AI technology may be new, copyright law applies to AI companies like Google with the same force as every other company that has complied with these laws for decades.