Another Author AI Lawsuit
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about authors suing an AI company for illegally downloading their books to train their AI models. And there is now more information about that lawsuit.
They have unsealed the court records, revealing that the company purchased many books, cut their spines off, and scanned them for AI training. Not cool! The courts sided with the authors, and many received part of the settlement. Yay! Well, this limited victory did not sit well with the other authors who were not included in the lawsuit. So, they filed a new, broader lawsuit against multiple AI companies.
Yay? What is the source of my less-than-stellar reaction? While I thought the first lawsuit was a victory, the win felt hollow because there was no change. Meaning that not a single digital bit in the vast AI programming landscape changed, nor did any AI company alter their illegal scraping practices. The reality was that a few authors got a small sum from a big AI company that absorbed the loss. In contrast to the Erin Brockovich lawsuit, where a large settlement was reached, multiple victims received justice, and company policies changed.
To me, this second lawsuit reminds me of all the 90s MP3 lawsuits. They all grabbed dramatic headlines, but not a single MP3 bit changed. This made me think at the time, “The MP3 bomb has exploded. Stop trying to put the pieces back together and instead focus on what to do now.”
I think authors are in the same boat as 90’s music artists. Companies have stolen copyrighted material, used it to train AI, and society cannot return to where it was. Is it fair? No. Was there any justice? No. Are shady internet sites still going to share MP3 files for free? Yes.
As an author, this is a hard pill to swallow. I work really hard to create something that I hope others enjoy. I am not saying I am a world-class author, or ever hope to be rich, but nobody can deny that I put in the effort. Stealing my words to train some AI model hurts.
Do I think this has happened? I am 100% sure, because my words are too irresistible, but this does require some explanation. Where are my books and articles held? My articles appear on multiple sites, and I do not have a copyright or anti-AI scraping statement. So… vacuum those articles up! Fast, free, and legal. Every AI company wins!
My books do have copyright warnings, and they are hosted on secure servers such as Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Google Play, and Apple Books… Hmm. Do companies like Amazon or Apple dabble in AI? Where are they going to get a bunch of well-written books for their AI training? Wait a minute, they have servers already loaded up with thousands of them. Would other companies also want a copy? How about a bulk rate? I bet I clicked on some obscure line in an Amazon or Apple agreement that permits “bulk examinations.”
So, even if my books were not stolen (hacked) from a server, AI companies will find a way to gain access. If, for some reason, they cannot, they will still find a way to scrape every word from my keyboard, and there is nothing I can do to prevent it. But would they really? After all, I am a tiny fish in the vast sea of authors.
My books and articles have two modestly valuable aspects. First, they are an excellent source of raw material. Take this very article. I guarantee that no other author has written about AI lawsuits in this way. This is because the topic is too new, and I am guaranteed to have a different take on any topic by at least 10%.
Second, to AI, all written material is extremely valuable. So, assuming my work is junk, it can be used as an example of junk work. And if it is so-so, I have a lot of material that serves as a wide example of average work. “This is how an up-and-coming author writes.” And if my work is unique? Well, that is AI gold.
Umm, actually no. AI learning does not depend on quality, but quantity, and I have written a lot. So, despite being a nobody author, when it comes to AI scraping, I am a powerhouse sitting on a mountain of gems.
My prediction of how AI lawsuits play out is not really a prediction. This pattern has been occurring for many years. Books were first copied by scribes, then by the printing press, then by the computer, and now by the internet. I am sure there were lawsuits by scribes, and I know there were lawsuits about printed books. AI lawsuits? They are just a distraction. Authors need to figure out how to monetize AI. In fact, I am doing that right now by writing an article about AI, hoping it is good enough to make you interested in buying my books. Everybody wins!
You’re the best -Bill
February 04, 2026
To me, this second lawsuit reminds me of all the 90s MP3 lawsuits. They all grabbed dramatic headlines, but not a single MP3 bit changed. This made me think at the time, “The MP3 bomb has exploded. Stop trying to put the pieces back together and instead focus on what to do now.”
I think authors are in the same boat as 90’s music artists. Companies have stolen copyrighted material, used it to train AI, and society cannot return to where it was. Is it fair? No. Was there any justice? No. Are shady internet sites still going to share MP3 files for free? Yes.
As an author, this is a hard pill to swallow. I work really hard to create something that I hope others enjoy. I am not saying I am a world-class author, or ever hope to be rich, but nobody can deny that I put in the effort. Stealing my words to train some AI model hurts.
Do I think this has happened? I am 100% sure, because my words are too irresistible, but this does require some explanation. Where are my books and articles held? My articles appear on multiple sites, and I do not have a copyright or anti-AI scraping statement. So… vacuum those articles up! Fast, free, and legal. Every AI company wins!
My books do have copyright warnings, and they are hosted on secure servers such as Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Google Play, and Apple Books… Hmm. Do companies like Amazon or Apple dabble in AI? Where are they going to get a bunch of well-written books for their AI training? Wait a minute, they have servers already loaded up with thousands of them. Would other companies also want a copy? How about a bulk rate? I bet I clicked on some obscure line in an Amazon or Apple agreement that permits “bulk examinations.”
So, even if my books were not stolen (hacked) from a server, AI companies will find a way to gain access. If, for some reason, they cannot, they will still find a way to scrape every word from my keyboard, and there is nothing I can do to prevent it. But would they really? After all, I am a tiny fish in the vast sea of authors.
My books and articles have two modestly valuable aspects. First, they are an excellent source of raw material. Take this very article. I guarantee that no other author has written about AI lawsuits in this way. This is because the topic is too new, and I am guaranteed to have a different take on any topic by at least 10%.
Second, to AI, all written material is extremely valuable. So, assuming my work is junk, it can be used as an example of junk work. And if it is so-so, I have a lot of material that serves as a wide example of average work. “This is how an up-and-coming author writes.” And if my work is unique? Well, that is AI gold.
Umm, actually no. AI learning does not depend on quality, but quantity, and I have written a lot. So, despite being a nobody author, when it comes to AI scraping, I am a powerhouse sitting on a mountain of gems.
My prediction of how AI lawsuits play out is not really a prediction. This pattern has been occurring for many years. Books were first copied by scribes, then by the printing press, then by the computer, and now by the internet. I am sure there were lawsuits by scribes, and I know there were lawsuits about printed books. AI lawsuits? They are just a distraction. Authors need to figure out how to monetize AI. In fact, I am doing that right now by writing an article about AI, hoping it is good enough to make you interested in buying my books. Everybody wins!
You’re the best -Bill
February 04, 2026
