A coalition of YouTubers has filed a new proposed class action lawsuit against Snap Inc. They filed it in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California—their home turf. On Friday, representatives from Consumers for Justice filed that lawsuit against the company. It sues them for copyright infringement for using a large video-language dataset named HD-VILA-100M. The plaintiffs argue that the database was only intended for academic and research purposes. Thus, they claim that Snap’s use of it constitutes copyright infringement.
The lawsuit is filed at a time when we are increasingly witnessing lawsuits from creators against AI model providers. This case continues a history of strategic lawsuits against public participation. The plaintiffs have already taken shots at global titans such as Nvidia, Meta, and ByteDance. These legal battles shed light on the complicated relationship between tech companies and performers. They especially focus on the liability and other potential risks involved with the use of copyrighted works to train AI models.
Sarah Perez, an award-winning TechCrunch reporter since August 2011, has been all over this story. Prior to coming to TechCrunch, Perez learned the ropes working at ReadWriteWeb for more than three years. In addition to a rich background in IT, including stints for banking, retail, and software industries. Her deep experience in both journalism and technology and on the front lines of today’s evolutions is what makes her uniquely poised to weigh in on these changes.
The plaintiffs’ allegations against Snap highlight a broader concern within the creative community about the ways in which AI models are trained. We know that many legitimate content creators justifiably feel that their work is being used without permission. This has led to copyright infringement lawsuits not only with YouTubers but with publishers, authors, newspapers and other creators who feel the same way.
TechCrunch has reached out to Snap with a request for comment on the lawsuit. As of this writing, Snap has yet to publicly respond. These legal challenges are developing quickly. They could make a big impact on the future data usage and copyright practices by AI companies.
As always, TechCrunch will be following this lawsuit closely. Plus, they’ll produce their signature TechCrunch Disrupt Event in San Francisco, CA, October 13–15, 2026. This unique gathering of industry visionaries and high-level practitioners will provide an immersive experience in the most pressing and exciting trends, obstacles, and innovations in tech.