Meta Says it Made Sure Not to Seed Any Pirated Books * TorrentFreak
torrentfreak.com
In an AI lawsuit targeting Meta, authors claim the company used BitTorrent to share books from shadow library LibGen with third parties.

In one of the AI lawsuits faced by Meta, the company stands accused of distributing pirated books. The authors who filed the class-action lawsuit allege that Meta shared books from the shadow library LibGen with third parties via BitTorrent. Meta, however, says that it took precautions to prevent ‘seeding’ content. In addition, the company clarifies that there is nothing ‘independently illegal’ about torrenting.

  • ShellMonkey@lemmy.socdojo.comEnglish
    151·
    2 days ago

    I was actually hoping to see that as a defense. The principal thing that copy enforcement corps always cite is ‘we downloaded a copy from their IP, thus they made a copy and distributed the work’.

    If this works as a defense here then in effect they make direct download portals legal for the users at least.

    • _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      21·
      2 days ago

      You’re forgetting that they’re a rich corporation, and you’re not. They’ll get away with the defense, but even if it set a precedent, copyright groups can still sue you until you’re broke to make an example of you, even if you didn’t legally do anything “wrong”.

      As long as you can sue someone for any reason without repercussions, then it’s always going to be the people with more money who come out on top. Always. Wining a lawsuit doesn’t mean you’re not still financially destroyed and driven into poverty for the rest of your life.

    • quirzle@lemmy.zipEnglish
      34·
      2 days ago

      Has anyone in the US ever been busted for downloading from a direct download portal? Or usenet?

      I think any progress here is mostly in principle, as I don’t think there’s a big practical risk to downloading only as it stands today, though I don’t follow things as closely as I used to and could be mistaken.

      • Rivalarrival@lemmy.todayEnglish
        37·
        2 days ago

        Has anyone in the US ever been busted for downloading from a direct download portal?

        Nobody in the US has ever been busted on copyright grounds for downloading anything, regardless of source. The law does not provide for enforcement against downloading; only uploading.

        • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
          131·
          2 days ago

          No, but even a baseless civil suit costs a lot of time and money to fight.

        • quirzle@lemmy.zipEnglish
          3·
          2 days ago

          That’s what I thought. I don’t think their defense succeeding here really gets us anything new.

          • Rivalarrival@lemmy.todayEnglish
            14·
            2 days ago

            It doesn’t get us anything new. It does put a big, gaping hole in the FUD that has been spread about the supposed “illegality” of downloading.

    • Pup Biru@aussie.zoneEnglish
      10·
      2 days ago

      this is actually the way it works in australia: downloading content is not illegal; sharing content is illegal

      thus as a consumer, usenet is fine

      obligatory ianal