Authors Protest Meta’s Use of Pirated Books to Train AI Models

Writers gathered outside Meta’s London office, accusing the tech giant of copyright violations and demanding government action.

Authors and publishing professionals protested outside Meta's London headquarters today, alleging the company used pirated books from LibGen to train its AI models without consent.
Court filings reveal that Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, approved the use of LibGen, a shadow library containing over 7.5 million copyrighted works.
Protesters delivered a letter from the Society of Authors to Meta, condemning the alleged copyright violations as harmful to writers' livelihoods and calling for stronger protections.
Meta defends its practices under 'fair use,' while authors argue that these actions undermine the creative industry and violate intellectual property rights.
The protest highlights broader concerns over the lack of regulation and the potential shift to 'opt-out' copyright schemes, which critics say would further burden creators.