'The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem: Meta pirated millions of books to train its AI' is an article published on March 20, 2025 on The Atlantic website and written by Alex Reisner, a contributing writer at the publication who in August 2023 broke the story of Books3, a collection of 192,000 pirated e-books being used by Apple, Meta, Bloomberg, Nvidia, and other companies. Alex investigates artificial intelligence, and is also a programmer.
In his article, Alex explores Meta's urgency to access books to train its AI because, according to a Meta senior manager, "books are actually more important than web data." After some time, Meta employees got permission from "MZ" to download and use the massive data set online at Library Genesis, or LibGen. This is one of the largest pirated libraries online, with more than 7.5 million books and 81 million research papers.
Meta and its rival OpenAI are facing lawsuits from authors, publishers, and media businesses, who claim in their suits that Big Tech's use of their creative content to train generative AI is copyright infringement.
What is copyright? |
Copyright is the legal word that describes the rights writers, authors, musicians, artists, filmmakers, game developers, architects, and many more creators have over their literary, artistic, or creative works. Copyright is sometimes called author's right. Broadly speaking, copyright provides two rights: 1. Economic rights, allowing the author (rights owner) to derive financial reward from the use of their works by others. 2. Moral rights, and they protect the non-economic interests of the author. Copyright exists as soon as a work is created. You can register your work volunterily and this will provide proof of your ownership of copyright, usually in the form of a certificate. |
Is my book on a book pirate website and being used to train AI?
Search to see if your book is on a pirated-books website via this link in Alex's 2023 article about what by now must be more than 200,000 books being used to train AI and fuel the fight between publishing and tech.
If it is, here's what you can do to get it removed. Before you begin, keep thorough documentation of the infringement and your steps. This is important should you eventually decide to pursue legal action. You'll also need to be patient.
How authors can get books off piracy sites and stop work being used in any futureAI training
If you're an author who wants to get their book off piracy sites and stop work being used in future AI training, below are details on how to:
Check if books are on book-pirate platforms.
Take first steps to get books removed from book-pirate platforms.
Seek assistance from a writers' or authors' organization in your country.
Take legal action in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Check if your book or publication is on a pirated-books database
If you don't want generative AI to use (or some would say steal) your book or paper for training, check regularly if it's been uploaded to an online pirated library. Even if you don't mind your publication being used to train AI, consider selling rights to it and at least receiving some income and/or recognition for your hard work.
These are the most popular pirate libraries at the time of publication. Keep in mind new ones are set up all the time and so this list will change. In addition, we are providing this list for authors so that, if they want, they can remove their books from such websites; we do not endorse these sites or encourage their use.
Note that accessing or distributing copyrighted material without permission is illegal in most countries.
Important: Use a VPN to protect your files while checking pirate platforms
Use a VPN and ad blocker: When interacting with these sites, we highly recommend using a VPN and ad blocker for safety.
Anna's Archive: Known for hosting a vast collection of eBooks, magazines, comics, and scientific articles. It is often compared to Library Genesis (LibGen) and Sci-Hub in terms of its scope and organization.
Sci-Hub: Primarily focused on academic papers, Sci-Hub has been noted for its extensive collection of pirated research articles, often accessed through Library Genesis (LibGen).
Library Genesis (LibGen): A repository that stores a wide range of pirated books and academic papers, often accessed via Sci-Hub.
Z-Library: Previously known for hosting pirated books and eBooks, though it has faced legal challenges and shutdowns.
Bibliotik: Another site mentioned in discussions about pirated books, though it is less frequently discussed than some of the others.
The Pirate Bay: While not exclusively an eBook site, it hosts a variety of content, including books and textbooks.
1337X: Known for its large collection of torrents, including eBooks.
MyAnonaMouse: A private community for eBook and audiobook torrents, requiring an invitation to join.
PdfDrive: Provides access to more than 80 million books.
OceanofPdf: An online platform hosting thousands of books.
Monitoring and contacting with book-pirate sites
Dealing with book piracy is a persistant challenge, but there are steps authors and publishers can take to mitigate the damage.
You'll need to be persistant if you decide to act. Material can at times reappear on different websites or platforms. There are companies specializing in copyright enforcement and you or your publisher take down infringing material. Here's a breakdown of the process; remember that the specifics can vary slightly between countries.
a. Monitor online platforms
Regularly search for your book titles on known book piracy sites listed above, file-sharing platforms, and general search engines.
Use variations of your book title, including misspellings, to increase search results.
Document every instance of infringement, including URLs, screenshots, and any other relevant information.
b. Use copyright monitoring tools
Consider using online services that specialize in detecting and tracking copyright infringement. These services can automate much of the monitoring process.
c. Search engine removal
Google takedown requests: Google provides a tool for copyright holders to request the removal of infringing URLs from its search results. Search for "Google copyright violation removal request" in your country, and then submit a takedown request
Other search engines: AOL Search, Bing, Qwant, DuckDuckGo, also have procedures for handling copyright infringement complaints
d. Contact the website directly
If possible, find the website's contact information and send a polite but firm takedown request.
Clearly state your copyright ownership and provide evidence of the infringement.
Set a reasonable deadline for the removal of the infringing material.
e. Contact the hosting provider
If direct contact with the website is unsuccessful, identify the website's hosting provider.
Most hosting providers have procedures for handling copyright infringement complaints.
Send a takedown notice to the hosting provider, providing the same information as in the previous step.
f. Contact the domain registrar
If the hosting provider does not respond, contact the domain registrar.
The registrar can sometimes take action to suspend or terminate the domain name of a website that repeatedly infringes copyright.
Seek assistance from a writers' or authors' organization in your country.
These organizations can provide guidance and support for authors dealing with copyright issues, including piracy and unauthorized use of their works. You will likely have to be a member to access formal legal support or advice.
Australia: Australian Society of Authors (ASA): Promotes and protects the rights of Australian authors. https://www.asauthors.org.
Copyright Agency: Collects and distributes copyright fees for text and images. https://www.copyright.com.au.
Canada: The Writers Union of Canada represents writers and advocates for their rights. https://www.writersunion.ca.
Access Copyright is a collective voice of creators and publishers in Canada, Access Copyright is a non-profit, national organization representing more than 10,000 Canadian writers, visual artists and publishers, and their works. https://www.accesscopyright.ca/
Canadian Authors Association supports Canadian authors and provides resources on copyright. https://canadianauthors.org.
Ireland: Irish Copyright Licensing Agency (ICLA) represents rights holders and issues licenses for copyrighted works. https://www.icla.ie.
Irish Writers Union supports Irish writers and advocates for their rights. https://www.writersunion.ie.
Trinity College Dublin has extensive information on copyright: https://www.tcd.ie/library/infoserv/copyright.php
The Irish Writers Centre provides a range of information about copyright: https://irishwriterscentre.ie/resources/copyright-information/
New Zealand: New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA): Represents and supports New Zealand writers. https://authors.org.nz.
Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ): Issues licenses for copyrighted works and distributes royalties. https://www.cl.nz.
United Kingdom: The Society of Authors: Works to protect and promote authors' rights, including copyright. https://societyofauthors.org.
The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) collects and distributes royalties for authors. https://www.alcs.co.uk.
United States: The Authors Guild advocates for authors' rights and provides resources on copyright. https://authorsguild.org.
Copyright Alliance represents the interests of authors, photographers, performers, artists, software developers, musicians, journalists, directors, songwriters, game designers, and many other individual creators: https://copyrightalliance.org/.
National Writers Union (NWU) represents writers and advocates for their rights. https://nwu.org.
Global: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) serves the world’s innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere. It offers information on international copyright law and treaties. https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html.
International treaties: The countries listed in this article are signatories to the Berne Convention treaty, which provides reciprocal protection for copyright works.
Taking legal action against copyright infringement in English-speaking countries
If the copyright infringement is widespread or causing financial harm, consider seeking legal counsel. A lawyer can help you navigate the complexities of copyright law and take appropriate legal action.
Australia copyright laws and taking legal action
Copyright law: Copyright in Australia is governed by the Copyright Act 1968. This information will help creatives: Copyright for Creatives. The Australian Copyright Council provides advice.
Key resource: Australian Copyright Council: copyright.org.au.
Taking legal action: Copyright holders can pursue civil legal action in the Federal Court or the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. In addition, cease and desist letters are common. The courts can grant injunctions and award damages. ISPs can be ordered to block access to infringing websites.
Canada copyright laws and taking legal action
Copyright law: Copyright in Canada is governed by the Copyright Act. This information will help creatives: Copyright basics. Copyright collective societies, like Access Copyright, support copyright holders.
Key resource: Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO).
Taking legal action: Copyright holders can pursue civil legal action in the Federal Court or provincial superior courts. "Notice-and-notice" regime: Copyright holders can send notices of infringement to ISPs, who then forward them to their subscribers. Statutory damages are available for copyright infringement.
Ireland copyright laws and taking legal action
Copyright Law: Copyright in Ireland is governed by the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000, as amended. This information will help creatives: Copyright and related rights.
Taking legal action: Copyright holders can pursue civil legal action against infringers. This includes seeking injunctions to stop the infringement and damages for financial losses. The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) Ireland can provide guidance and support.
Cease and desist letters from a solicitor are a common first step. The courts can grant orders to internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to infringing websites.
Key Resource: Irish Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA Ireland): cla.ie.
New Zealand copyright laws and taking action
Copyright law: Copyright in New Zealand is governed by the Copyright Act 1994. This information will help creatives: Copyright Protection in New Zealand.
Key Resource: Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ): iponz.govt.nz.
Copyright holders can pursue civil legal action in the High Court. Cease and desist letters are common. The courts can grant injunctions and award damages. The Copyright Tribunal can resolve disputes related to copyright licensing.
United Kingdom copyright laws and taking legal action
Copyright Law: Copyright in the UK is governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This information will help creatives: Copyright in Depth.
Key resource: UK Intellectual Property Office: gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office
Taking legal action: Copyright holders can pursue civil legal action in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) or the High Court, depending on the scale of the infringement. Cease and desist letters are common. The courts can issue injunctions and award damages. ISPs can be ordered to block access to infringing websites. The UK Intellectual Property Office provides guidance.
United States copyright laws and taking legal action
Copyright law: Copyright law of the United States.
Key resource: This information will help creatives: Protecting Creatives and Their Creative Expressions.
Taking legal action: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provides a legal framework for copyright holders to request the removal of infringing material from online platforms.
Monitor and follow-up
Regularly check if your book has been removed from the pirate site and from search engine results.
Fact check: Is something incorrect or has a website or page been replaced? Please contact us and we'll update this article.
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