Google licensing deals complicate certification of US AI-training case
By Amy Miller ( February 21, 2026, 02:21 GMT | Insight) -- A lawsuit accusing Google of illegally using artists' and writers' copyrighted works to train its artificial intelligence tools shouldn't be certified because the company acquired their books and images legitimately, the company told a US judge in Silicon Valley. But artists and writers countered that the case must be certified because it’s based on a single claim: Google’s violation of copyright law and it systematic and repeated copying of millions of copyrighted books and image without permission. US District Judge Eumi K. Lee questioned both sides about whether it would be possible to certify multiple classes given those licensing issues. A lawsuit accusing Google of illegally using artists' and writers' copyrighted works to train its artificial intelligence tools shouldn't be certified because the company acquired their books and images legitimately, the company told a US judge in Silicon Valley....
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