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Apple Asks Court to Dismiss YouTuber Class Action Over Video Scraping

A ruling for Apple would shape whether publicly posted YouTube videos can be used to train internal AI models without violating the DMCA.

Overview

  • Three YouTube channels led by Ted Entertainment sued Apple in April, saying Apple scraped millions of videos to train AI and that the company bypassed YouTube protections.
  • Apple filed a response on July 2–3 asking the federal court to throw out the case on the ground that the complaint fails to state a claim.
  • Apple argues the videos were publicly accessible so YouTube’s technical measures do not “control access” as required by 17 U.S.C. § 1201(a), and that YouTube’s terms and the DMCA permit its access.
  • The plaintiffs say Apple deliberately circumvented download protections and unjustly profited from creators’ work, claims that would move forward only if the court rejects Apple’s dismissal request.
  • This dispute is one of several similar suits against major AI and platform firms and a decision here could influence whether creators can use the DMCA or contract law to seek payment or limits on large‑scale AI training.