Connect with us

Tech

In copyright fight, artists use white-hot AI report as weapon against Meta

Published

3 months ago

on

Plaintiffs in the landmark Kadrey v. Meta case have already submitted the U.S. Copyright Office's controversial AI report as evidence in their copyright infringement suit against the tech giant.

Last Friday, the Copyright Office quietly released a "pre-publication version" of its views on the use of copyrighted works to train generative AI models. The consequential report contained bad news for AI companies hoping to claim the fair use legal doctrine as a defense in court.

Less than a day after the report was published, Shira Perlmutter, the head of the Copyright Office, was fired by President Donald Trump. It's still unclear exactly why Perlmutter was fired, but the move alarmed some copyright lawyers, as Mashable previously reported.

And on May 12, the plaintiffs in Kadrey v Meta, which includes artists and authors such as Junot Diaz, Sarah Silverman, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, submitted the report as an exhibit in their class action lawsuit.

What's in the U.S. Copyright Office's AI report?

The Office's report was the conclusion of a three-part investigation into copyright law and artificial intelligence, which it calls uncharted legal territory. The "Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Part 3: Generative AI Training" report examined exactly the type of legal issues at stake in Kadrey v Meta.

While some copyright lawyers and Democratic politicians have speculated the report led to Perlmutter's firing, there are other possible explanations. In a blog post, copyright lawyer Aaron Moss said "it’s more likely that the Office raced to release the report before a wave of leadership changes could delay — or derail — its conclusions."

The report addressed in detail the four factors of the fair use doctrine. Meta and other AI companies are being sued for using copyrighted works to train their AI models, and Meta in particular has claimed this activity should be protected under fair use.

The lengthy 113-page report spends around 50 pages delving into the nuances of fair use, citing historic legal cases that ruled for and against fair use. It doesn't goes as far as making any blanket conclusions, but its analysis generally favors copyright holders over AI companies and their unprecedented stockpiling of data for model training.

The Copyright Office's stance on the white hot issue doesn't line up with the wishes of Big Tech titans, who have cozied up to the Trump Administration. In general, President Trump has taken a pro-tech approach to AI regulation.

The plaintiffs in the Kadrey v. Meta case are clearly hoping the report could tip the scale in their favor. The lawyers who submitted the report as evidence on Monday didn't explain in detail why it was submitted as a "Statement of Supplemental Authority." The brief simply said, "the Report addresses several key issues discussed in the parties’ respective motions regarding the use of copyrighted works in the development of generative AI systems and application of the fair use doctrine."

AI models can harm creative markets, Copyright Office finds

a robotic hand holding a scale

The controversial AI copyright report could tip the scales for the case against Meta.
Credit: wildpixel / iStock / Getty Images

The part of the report that's potentially the most damning for Meta is the Copyright Office's assessment of the fourth factor of fair use, which considers the effects on current or future markets.

"The use of pirated collections of copyrighted works to build a training library, or the distribution of such a library to the public, would harm the market for access to those works," said the pre-publication version of the report.

The analysis also considers possible market dilution for authors. "If thousands of AI-generated romance novels are put on the market, fewer of the human-authored romance novels that the AI was trained on are likely to be sold. Royalty pools can also be diluted," the report stated. In addition, the plaintiffs have argued that Meta's use of piracy to access the authors' books deprived them of licensing opportunities.

For its part, Meta argues that its AI model Llama doesn't compete with the authors' market, and that the model's transformative output makes the fair use argument irrelevant.

While the report favors the plaintiffs' argument, we don't know if the judge in the case will agree. And because this is a pre-publication version, it could be edited or even rescinded by a future leader at the Copyright Office.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech

The best-selling $169 AirPods Pro deal is back — grab em while you can

Published

16 hours ago

on

August 10, 2025

By

SAVE $80: As of Aug. 9, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $169 at Amazon. That's 32% off their list price of $249.


Apple AirPods Pro 2 in charging case

Credit: Apple


Apple AirPods Pro 2

$169
at Amazon

$249
Save $80



The battle of the best earbuds is a pretty tough race, but the AirPods Pro are still a huge standout — especially now that they feature USB-C charging. And we love them even more when they're on sale.

As of Aug. 9, the AirPods Pro 2 are down to just $169 at Amazon instead of the usual $249. That's a savings of 32% and just $20 shy of their best-ever price from Prime Day. The Apple earbuds do fall to $169 pretty regularly, but that doesn't mean this isn't a solid deal. That's only $40 more than the AirPods 4 at full price, which don't even offer noise cancellation.

SEE ALSO:

Shop Apple's most affordable iPad for its lowest price yet

We particularly love the rich and well-balanced sound of the AirPods Pro, although we wish they offered customizable EQ. They also offer best-in-class noise cancellation, decent battery life (up to six hours per charge, 30 hours with case), and seamless Apple ecosystem integration. The Pros regularly top our lists of the best headphones, and our readers seem to love them just as much. "For portability, active noise cancellation, and balanced sound, your search ends with the AirPods Pro," our reviewer writes.

Continue Reading

Tech

NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 9, 2025

Published

16 hours ago

on

August 10, 2025

By

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO:

Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO:

NYT Mini crossword answers, hints for August 8, 2025

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

  • Yellow: Ways to throw a baseball

  • Green: Hockey fouls

  • Blue: Women's hockey

  • Purple: Roll Tide QBs

Featured Video For You

Connections: How to play and how to win

Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: Baseball Pitching Arm Slots

  • Green: Hockey Penalties

  • Blue: PWHL Teams

  • Purple: Former Alabama QBs

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #320 is…

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

  • Baseball Pitching Arm Slots – OVERHAND, SIDEARM, SUBMARINE, THREE-QUARTERS

  • Hockey Penalties – BOARDING, CROSS-CHECKING, HOOKING, INTERFERENCE

  • PWHL Teams – CHARGE, FLEET, FROST, SIRENS

  • Former Alabama QBs – NAMATH, STABLER, STARR, YOUNG

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Connections.

Continue Reading

Tech

Microsoft is shutting down its Lens PDF scanner app

Published

16 hours ago

on

August 10, 2025

By

The Microsoft logo and lettering can be seen on the Microsoft Deutschland GmbH headquarters building in Parkstadt Schwabing in Munich

Microsoft is quietly winding down its Lens scanning app for iOS and Android, the company confirmed in a support document.

Formerly known as Office Lens, the app lets users convert images into PDFs, PowerPoint slides, and Excel files, handling both handwritten and printed documents with ease. It was simple, reliable, and widely used — but it’s now on the chopping block. Microsoft plans to officially retire the app on Sept. 15, 2025.

SEE ALSO:

Apple will soon be ending support for Intel-based Macs

Support will end on Nov. 15, 2025, when Lens will be pulled from both the App Store and Google Play. Users will still be able to create scans until Dec. 15, 2025, but after that, the feature will be disabled. Existing scans will remain accessible as long as the app stays installed on the device.

The move marks the end of an app that’s seen more than 50 million downloads on Google Play and nearly 136,000 ratings on Apple’s App Store.

Microsoft is pointing users toward Microsoft 365 Copilot, which carries over most of Lens’s scanning capabilities. However, Copilot lacks some of Lens’s biggest perks, including direct saving to Microsoft Suite apps and accessibility features like read-aloud support and Immersive Reader integration.

Continue Reading

Trending