Proposed class action accuses Apple of scraping millions of YouTube videos for AI training

Source: 9to5Mac

Lawsuit says Apple used a dataset comprising millions of YouTube videos to train an AI model, as described in a study published in late 2024. Here are the details.

Amazon and OpenAI also accused

As spotted by MacRumors, a proposed class‑action lawsuit filed by Ted Entertainment, Matt Fisher, and Golfholics alleges that Apple circumvented YouTube’s anti‑scraping protections to download millions of videos.

According to the filing, a team of Apple researchers published a study called STIV: Scalable Text and Image Conditioned Video Generation, in which they say they used a dataset called Panda‑70M to help train the video‑generation model described in the paper.

The Panda‑70M dataset functions as a map or index file identifying specific YouTube videos and clips by URL, video identifier, and timestamp. A single YouTube video may be divided into numerous clips, each treated as a separate training sample. Extracting any clip requires independently accessing the source video on YouTube and isolating the designated segment, a process that constitutes a separate act of circumvention for each clip retrieved.

The plaintiffs claim their content appears more than 500 times in the dataset and are seeking to represent “all others similarly situated” as part of a proposed class action.

In essence, they argue that while the dataset only provides links to the videos, Apple allegedly circumvented YouTube’s anti‑scraping protections to download and use the underlying content to train its AI models.

For this reason, they demand a trial jury for all claims and ask for the following relief:

• Certification of this action as a class action and appointment of Plaintiffs and Plaintiffs’ counsel to represent the Class;
• A declaration that Defendant willfully circumvented the copyright‑protection systems of YouTube intended to protect Plaintiffs’ and the Class Members’ audiovisual content;
• Statutory damages (up to the maximum allowed by law per violation), injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees and costs under 17 U.S.C. § 1203;
• Equitable relief under Title 17, Title 28, and/or the Court’s inherent authority, including a preliminary and permanent injunction requiring Defendant and its affiliates to cease infringing;
• An award of prejudgment and post‑judgment interest to the fullest extent available; and
• Such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.

In addition to Apple, the plaintiffs have filed proposed class‑action suits against Amazon and OpenAI, alleging that both companies also used the Panda‑70M dataset in their own AI model training processes.