Meta Faces Lawsuit for Using Pirated Adult Content in AI Training

Key Takeaways

1. Strike 3 Holdings has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta for unlawfully downloading and sharing 2,396 copyrighted materials via BitTorrent.
2. The lawsuit claims Meta used both corporate and residential IP addresses to access and distribute Strike 3’s works, recording over 100,000 unauthorized distribution events.
3. Strike 3 alleges that Meta targeted its works to expedite file downloads and utilized them to train AI models, potentially harming Strike 3’s market position.
4. The studio is seeking statutory damages, a permanent injunction against Meta, and the removal of all identified files from Meta’s systems.
5. Meta has not publicly responded to the allegations presented in the lawsuit.

Strike 3 Holdings, known for its adult film productions, has initiated a copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. This legal action was filed on July 23, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint claims that Meta unlawfully downloaded and shared 2,396 of Strike 3’s copyrighted materials using the BitTorrent system, with some instances occurring on the same day the new content was released.

Claims of Unauthorized Usage

In the lawsuit, Strike 3 argues that Meta utilized both its corporate and hidden IP addresses, along with residential IPs associated with its employees, to access and share the copyrighted material. The studio’s specialized detection tools, VXN Scan and Cross Reference Tool, reportedly recorded over 100,000 unauthorized distribution events linked to Meta’s network.

Allegations of AI Training

The lawsuit also states that Meta strategically targeted these works to speed up the downloading of more files by taking advantage of BitTorrent’s “tit-for-tat” method, which is designed to promote file sharing among peers and discourage free-riding. It also claims that these works were utilized to train Meta’s AI models, like LLaMA 4 and Movie Gen. This could potentially enable Meta to create content similar to what Strike 3 produces, thus affecting the studio’s competitive edge in the market.

Strike 3 is asking for statutory damages, a permanent injunction to prevent Meta from using its works in the future, and the removal of all identified files from Meta’s systems. Additionally, the studio emphasizes that it never gave Meta permission to utilize its films for AI training or any other usage, referencing prior lawsuits that accused Meta of using pirated material for training its language models.

No Response from Meta

As of now, Meta has not made any public statements regarding the allegations mentioned in the lawsuit.

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