3D Artist Sues Meta, Nvidia, Roblox Over AI Training Data
Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Roblox face proposed class action lawsuits filed Thursday in California federal court by digital artist Austin Beaulier, who alleges the companies downloaded millions of 3D models without permission to train generative AI systems.
Beaulier, based in Los Angeles, said the companies obtained his work and that of other artists from public repositories and used it to train AI systems that generate 3D objects for video games, virtual worlds, and animation. The three systems named in the complaints are Meta's SAM-3D, Nvidia's TRELLIS-500K, and Roblox's Cube3D.
The Copyright Dispute
Beaulier distributes 3D models through public databases under Creative Commons licenses, which prohibit commercial use. The complaints allege the companies trained their AI systems on millions of these works without artists' consent or compensation.
Beaulier seeks to represent nationwide classes of 3D artists against each company and has requested unspecified monetary damages. The court must approve the class certification before the cases proceed.
Broader Legal Trend
These lawsuits follow a wave of copyright infringement cases against tech companies. Visual artists, authors, news outlets, and others have sued over alleged misuse of copyrighted material for AI training. Tech companies have defended their practices as fair use, arguing their systems transform source material into something new.
The cases are filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California under case numbers 3:26-cv-02632 for each defendant. The companies have not yet filed responses.
For legal professionals tracking AI litigation, understanding the fair use doctrine and copyright claims in AI training remains central to emerging case law. AI for Legal professionals can help teams stay current on these developments.
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