**Snap Takes Center Stage in Latest AI Copyright Drama**
In a move that’s got the tech world talking, a group of YouTubers with a combined 6.2 million subscribers are taking Snap to court, alleging that the company used their content to train its AI models without permission. If that sounds familiar, it’s because similar lawsuits have been filed against Nvidia, Meta, and ByteDance in recent months.
According to the lawsuit, Snap used a massive video dataset called HD-VILA-100M for commercial purposes, which is a no-no according to YouTube’s terms of service and licensing restrictions. The plaintiffs, who run popular channels like h3h3Productions, MrShortGame Golf, and Golfholics, are seeking statutory damages and a permanent injunction to stop Snap from violating their copyrights.
This isn’t an isolated incident, by any means. With over 70 copyright infringement cases filed against AI companies, it’s clear that this is a growing concern for content creators. And, as we’ve seen, the courts haven’t always ruled in favor of the creators. But, with more and more cases popping up, it’s getting harder for these companies to ignore the issue.
I reached out to Snap for comment, and I’ll update this post if I hear back. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that this case is just one of many pitting content creators against AI model suppliers – publishers, authors, newspapers, and artists are all fighting for their rights.
If you’re interested in learning more about these cases, be sure to check out the links below:
* [Nvidia Faces More Allegations of YouTube AI Scraping](https://www.law360.com/articles/2416438/nvidia-faces-more-allegations-of-youtube-ai-scraping)
* [Meta, ByteDance Hit with YouTube Creators’ AI Copyright Scraping Suits](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/meta-bytedance-hit-with-youtubers-ai-copyright-scraping-suits)
* [YouTube Creators Step into the Fray Against OpenAI in Class-Action Lawsuit](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/youtube-creators-step-legal-battle-against-openai-class-action-lawsuit-1235968822/)
And, if you’re interested in staying up-to-date on the latest AI and tech developments, be sure to join us at TechCrunch’s upcoming conference in San Francisco on October 13-15, 2026. It’s going to be a wild ride!
