tech
March 31, 2026
Authors' lucky break in court may help class action over Meta torrenting
Judge gave authors an easier attack on Meta’s torrenting. Meta hopes SCOTUS ruling will block it.
TL;DR
- Meta is using a Supreme Court ruling on ISP liability to fight claims that it illegally torrented AI training data.
- A judge allowed authors to add a contributory infringement claim to a class action lawsuit against Meta.
- This claim is easier to prove than direct copyright infringement as it focuses on Meta facilitating torrent transfers.
- Meta argues it did not "affirmatively induce infringement," while plaintiffs assert Meta's knowledge of torrenting's nature is sufficient.
- A judge criticized the authors' lawyers for delays but reluctantly allowed the claim to proceed to protect class members' interests.
- The ruling potentially lowers the bar for authors to prove Meta facilitated copyright infringement.
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