26/03/2025
As many of you are aware, Meta has been stealing books to train AI. As an author AND a publisher, I have been affected by this.
The Australian Society of Authors has written an article on the matter, which gives access to The Atlantic's tool to lookup titles on the LibGen database, a link to register your affected books, and a link to sign ASA's global statement on the matter. Here's the link to the article: https://www.asauthors.org.au/news/australian-authors-books-included-in-ai-training-dataset/
The Australian Publishers Association is also putting this issue front and centre. In their latest newsletter, they say:
"These thefts by Meta, LibGen and other AI developers affect trade, education and scholarly publications. Many Australian authors despair about the use of their work in this way, and illegal ingestions undercut publishers’ efforts to create legitimate licensing markets for themselves and their authors. LibGen is one of the worst offenders, with pirated holdings of 7.5 million books and 81 million research papers. It has resisted attempts to shut it down, ignoring court orders and DCMA notices."
So, what can publishers do? The APA recommends the following:
"1. Be vocal. The APA has shared a statement on LinkedIn; we encourage you to share this and the ASA’s statements, and add your own voice. Encourage your authors to do the same.
2. Check if your ISBNs are included. Use The Atlantic’s tool to check if your books are included in the LibGen dataset... Publishers with a TitlePage subscription can request a list of their affected ISBNs.
3. Advise your authors about their exposure. Ask them to use The Atlantic’s tool to confirm their inclusion, and to register that inclusion with the ASA...
4. ...When the Federal Election is called (likely this weekend), we’ll launch the Books Create Australia election campaign with the ASA, ALIA and BookPeople. It calls for investment in the sector and regulation for AI. Please share it widely."
SHARE the details. SHARE the links. SIGN the forms.
And remember, what you permit you promote!
