Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Use of Copyrighted Books in AI Training

Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Unauthorized Use of Books for AI Training

On September 5, 2025, Apple was sued by a group of authors accusing the tech giant of illegally using copyrighted books to train its artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Northern California, claims Apple copied protected works without permission, credit, or compensation.

The plaintiffs include authors Grady Hendrix and Jennifer Roberson, who allege their works were included in a pirated dataset used to develop Apple's large language model, "OpenELM."

Authors Demand Recognition and Compensation

The lawsuit emphasizes that Apple has never attempted to pay these authors for their contributions to what could be a highly profitable AI effort. Hendrix, known for his horror novels, and Roberson, based in Arizona, insist their copyrighted content was exploited without consent.

Apple and the legal teams representing the company have not responded to requests for comment.

Part of a Larger Legal Wave Targeting AI Companies

This case is the latest in a series of lawsuits targeting major technology firms accused of infringing on intellectual property rights by using copyrighted books to train AI models.

• Anthropic, an AI startup, recently agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by authors alleging unauthorized use of their books for training a cloud-based AI chatbot. Notably, Anthropic did not admit legal liability in the settlement.
• Microsoft was sued in June by a group of writers claiming the company used their books without permission to train its Megatron AI model.
• Meta Platforms and OpenAI are also facing legal challenges over alleged copyright violations in AI training.

Why This Matters for Writers

For authors, these lawsuits highlight the growing concern over how AI companies use creative works without proper licensing or compensation. The legal outcomes could set important precedents for protecting writers' intellectual property in the age of AI.

Those interested in learning more about AI, its development, and legal implications can explore courses and resources at Complete AI Training.

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