● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
Artists File Lawsuits Against AI Companies Over Copyright Infringement
Key points
- Kirk Wallace Johnson found his books in an AI training dataset.
- Johnson joined a lawsuit against Anthropic for copyright infringement.
- Sarah Andersen and other artists sued Stability, Midjourney, DeviantArt, and Runway AI.
- Lawsuits focus on copyright and terms of service violations.
Artists Discover Works in AI Training Data
Author Kirk Wallace Johnson discovered his nonfiction books, including "The Feather Thief" and "The Fishermen and the Dragon," were included in a searchable dataset used to train AI models. He reported feeling anger and concern over the unauthorized use of his intellectual property by large corporations.
Legal Action Against AI Developers
Johnson proactively joined a lawsuit against Anthropic, represented by Susman Godfrey, which is leading a case on behalf of authors. This action is part of a broader trend where numerous artists, including authors, musicians, and illustrators, are pursuing legal challenges against AI companies.
The lawsuits primarily allege copyright infringement, though some also cite terms of service violations. These cases are progressing through the court system, with some reaching settlements and others facing ongoing litigation, particularly concerning the definition of fair use.
Illustrators Join the Fight
Illustrator and cartoonist Sarah Andersen, known for her webcomic "Sarah's Scribbles," was among the first artists to take legal action against AI companies. She, along with Karla Ortiz and Kelly McKernan, filed a class-action lawsuit against Stability, Midjourney, DeviantArt, and Runway AI. This case has been in court since January 2023, following the release of generative AI tools like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
The daily brief
One email each morning: the day's tech stories, clustered across outlets and summarized. No account needed.
One email a day. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Today's brief
Spend a few minutes, get the whole day. Every topic's top stories in one hands-free rundown — listen, watch, or read the transcript.
▶ Play today's brief
New every morning, and the back catalogue is archived by date.
Reporting from
Artists, including authors and illustrators, are filing lawsuits against AI companies like Anthropic, Stability, Midjourney, DeviantArt, and Runway AI, alleging copyright infringement for using their works to train AI models without permission. These legal actions highlight ongoing disputes regarding intellectual property rights and fair use in the context of generative AI development.