A U.S. federal judge, Vince Chhabria, questioned the validity of Meta’s assertion of fair use in a case concerning the training of AI models with copyrighted content.

In a recent court session, Chhabria stated, “I just don’t understand how that can be fair use.” He elaborated on the implications of using copyrighted materials without compensation, emphasizing how such actions can significantly alter the market for original works.

Chhabria’s Remarks:

“You have companies using copyright-protected material to create a product that is capable of producing an infinite number of competing products.”
This raises concerns about the impact of AI on the value of creative work.

The back-and-forth continues as companies like Meta argue that their use of such content falls under transformative fair use, citing the educational aspects of AI development. However, Chhabria appears unconvinced, suggesting that even potentially ’transformative’ actions may still infringe upon the original creators’ rights.

As legal proceedings unfold, both parties are held accountable to provide substantial evidence supporting their arguments.

Related Lawsuit Context

Silverman and other authors previously filed lawsuits alleging that their works were inappropriately used to train these models, a claim that has sparked significant debate over copyright in the digital age.

Further Context: Under U.S. copyright law, “fair use” allows limited use of copyrighted material without needing permission for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, and scholarship.