Kadrey et al. v. Meta Platforms, Inc., 3:23-cv-03417-VC (N.D. Cal.)

Summary

Authors including Richard Kadrey, Sarah Silverman and Christopher Golden sued Meta in the Northern District of California on July 7, 2023, alleging that Meta copied their books, obtained from shadow libraries, to train its Llama models. On June 25, 2025, Judge Vince Chhabria granted Meta partial summary judgment, holding on that record that copying the thirteen plaintiffs' books for training was fair use; the court stressed that the case is not a class action, that the ruling binds only those authors, and that the plaintiffs had failed to develop market-harm evidence. The claim that Meta infringed by distributing works while torrenting them was not decided and remains live. A March 2026 scheduling order, as reported, sets the hearing on summary judgment for the torrenting-related claims for February 25, 2027. The remaining claims are allegations.

Key dates

1. July 7, 2023Filed
2. October 16, 2026Checked against sources
3. October 21, 2026Checked against sources

Developments are added when the record is reviewed. Next review: January 15, 2027.

Evidence

Each passage is quoted from its source. The quoted passages are re-checked against the live pages every month.

1. Case 3:23-cv-03417 Document 1 Filed 07/07/23 Page 1 of 15

   Supports: docket number and filing date

   Complaint, Kadrey v. Meta Platforms, 3:23-cv-03417, ECF 1 U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal. (via CourtListener RECAP) Primary source

2. grant summary judgment to Meta on the plaintiffs' claim that the company violated copyright law by training its models with their books.

   Supports: partial summary judgment for Meta on training

   This is not a class action, so the ruling only affects the rights of these thirteen authors

   Supports: not a class action; ruling limited to thirteen authors

   With respect to the plaintiffs' claim that Meta infringed their copyrights by distributing their works (via leeching or seeding), neither side moved for summary

   Supports: distribution claim left undecided

   Order Denying Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and Granting Meta's Cross-Motion, ECF 598 (25 June 2025) U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal. (via CourtListener RECAP) Primary source

3. Claims related to alleged reproduction of pirated works during "seeding" in the torrenting process remain active in the Northern District of California.

   Supports: torrenting claims still active in 2026

   AI in litigation series: An update on AI copyright cases in 2026 Norton Rose Fulbright Reporting or analysis

4. Dispositive Motion Hearing set for 2/25/2027 at 10:00 AM in San Francisco, Courtroom 04, 17th Floor before Judge Vince Chhabria.

   Supports: February 2027 summary judgment hearing (quoted docket text)

   Kadrey v. Meta gets scheduling order (27 Mar. 2026) ChatGPT Is Eating the World Tracker or database