An Alphabet shareholder sues Pichai, Page, Brin and 10 others over training Google's AI on copyrighted works
The derivative complaint, filed on October 30 in federal court in Chicago by shareholder Phil Rosen, alleges a strategy of using pirated data, including for the Lyria music models; any damages would go to Alphabet, and the company has not been reported as responding.
Why it matters
Most AI copyright cases pit rights holders against AI companies; this one turns the claim inward, arguing that Alphabet's own leaders exposed the company by choosing to train on unlicensed books, images and voiceprints and to pay damages later. A derivative suit asks whether directors breached their duties, so it adds governance pressure on top of the existing infringement cases. What to watch is whether the court lets it proceed and whether similar shareholder suits follow at other AI developers.
Key facts
- Filed October 30 in federal court in Chicago
- Plaintiff: shareholder Phil Rosen
- 13 defendants including Sundar Pichai, Larry Page and Sergey Brin
- Alleges Lyria music models trained on recordings, compositions and lyrics
- Derivative suit: any damages paid to Alphabet