By Blake Brittain
Publication Date: 2026-01-15 18:38:00
Jan 15 (Reuters) – Publishers Hachette Book Group and Cengage Group (CNGO.PK) asked a California federal court on Thursday for permission to intervene in a proposed class action lawsuit against Google (GOOGL.O) over the alleged misuse of copyrighted material used to train its artificial intelligence systems.
The publishers said in their proposed complaint that the tech company “engaged in one of the most prolific infringements of copyrighted materials in history” to build its AI capabilities, copying content from Hachette books and Cengage textbooks without permission.
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Spokespeople for Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the publishers’ bid, which could increase the potential damages at stake in the case.
“We believe our participation will bolster the case, especially because publishers are uniquely positioned to address many of the legal, factual, and evidentiary questions before the Court,” Maria…
