Meta tries to scapegoat staff who downloaded torrents to spare execs
Meta argues nobody “decided” to pirate books to train AI.
TL;DR
- Meta is required to name executives who authorized the piracy of books from shadow libraries like Anna's Archive and LibGen for AI training.
- Authors and publishers argue Meta made a willful choice to induce infringement by downloading and distributing copyrighted works.
- Meta claimed an "informal approach" and that no one with authority made decisions, with staff technically downloading torrents.
- The court order compels Meta to produce server command history files, potentially providing evidence of Meta seeding works.
- Meta's attempts to scapegoat staff are highlighted, with internal messages showing discomfort and requests for director or VP level approval.
- The judge rejected Meta's argument that "collaborative" talks meant there wasn't a single decision-maker.