European booksellers report suspicious bulk book orders, suspect AI data scraping

Unusual Book Orders Across Europe

Independent booksellers in Europe, including Kennys in Galway and various shops in Berlin, have reported receiving "bananas" online orders for thousands of books. These orders are characterized by their large volume, eclectic selection of obscure titles, and lack of price negotiation, which is unusual for institutional buyers.

Suspicions of AI Data Scraping

Booksellers suspect these bulk purchases are linked to AI companies acquiring books for data scraping, similar to practices observed in the United States. The orders often include outdated or niche titles that would not typically be in high demand, such as a 2018 edition of a driving test guide.

Precedent in the US with Anthropic

This European phenomenon echoes a January Washington Post report detailing "Project Panama," where AI giant Anthropic spent tens of millions of dollars to acquire and scan millions of books to train its AI models, including Claude. This information emerged during a copyright lawsuit against Anthropic, which resulted in a $1.5 billion settlement with authors.

Legal and Ethical Concerns

German antiquarian book dealer Urban Zerfass believes tech giants are engaged in similar activities in Europe. Germany's Publishers and Booksellers’ Association has condemned mass scan-and-pulp practices as destructive and illegal, stating that scanning books, regardless of purpose, is not permitted under German law.