Meta Seeks Dismissal of Lawsuit Alleging Illegal Adult Video Downloads for AI Training

Meta is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from adult film producers Strike 3 Holdings and Counterlife Media, who claim that Meta downloaded thousands of their films via BitTorrent from 2018 onward to train AI models, seeking up to $359 million in damages. Meta denies the allegations, arguing that the downloads were sporadic, small in number, and occurred before its AI video research began, suggesting the files were likely downloaded for private personal use rather than coordinated AI training. The company also emphasizes that its terms forbid generating adult content and that the IP addresses involved could correspond to employees, contractors, visitors, or third parties, not necessarily Meta itself. Meta describes the lawsuit as frivolous and based on guesswork, asserting there is no evidence linking the downloads to its AI projects or employees. The case highlights ongoing scrutiny of AI training data sources and Meta's previous legal challenges over unauthorized content usage for AI development. Meta has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, maintaining that the plaintiffs have failed to provide substantial proof of their claims.