OpenAI created a library of pirated books for use and sharing outside of its training data, according to a newly unsealed version of the books plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgement. Internal documents also show that employees believed LLMs would create substitutes for books and threatened creative output, echoing what authors have long argued in their lawsuits against LLM companies. The initial filing gave only hints that OpenAI could be vulnerable to the same issue that led to Anthropic’s record-setting copyright infringement settlement—keeping a private library of all the downloaded pirated books and using it for broad purposes, not just AI […]
B&N Acquires Levenger
Barnes & Noble has acquired Florida-based lifestyle and stationery brand Levenger. Employees will remain with the company and an “assortment” of products will be available in B&N and Paper Source stores, starting in “select” B&Ns this fall. “Levenger has created something truly special,” B&N ceo James Daunt said in a release. “For nearly four decades, Steve and Lori Leveen and the Levenger team have established a distinctive brand created specifically for readers and writers. Levenger is an exceptional complement to Barnes & Noble and Paper Source and we look forward to introducing these wonderful products those of our customers who […]
Obituaries: Rose Friedman, David Martin
Rose Friedman, 38, NPR editor, reporter, and co-creator the Books We Love reading guide, died of cancer in New York City on September 17. NPR writes in a remembrance, “Rose Friedman was in her early 20s when she landed her first position as an editorial assistant at NPR Books. She became deeply sourced in the publishing industry and seemed to have read everything. She edited book reviews and features such as This Week’s Must Read. She wrote numerous appreciations of authors, including Herman Wouk and the legendary editor Sonny Mehta.” “She was voracious,” novelist Meg Wolitzer tells NPR. “What a gifted, delightful, brilliant, deeply kind […]
People 9/21
Anthropic Dispute Deadline Extended to 60 Days
After widespread errors occurred in claims for the Anthropic copyright settlement, rightsholders now have 60 days to submit information to support their claim. Previously, the deadline for filing a dispute was 30 days from the day the claimant received their notice about the settlement allocation (between September 2–4). The settlement website notes that disputes may not be resolved within those 60 days. “Any works for which disputes are not resolved before the first distribution of Settlement payments will not be included in the first distribution and will instead be included in a subsequent distribution,” the site says.