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Meta Must Face US Suit Over Facebook Ads

By  |  January 5, 2023

Meta lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit in Northern California federal court brought by an artist who said Facebook violates her and other creators’ copyrights by allowing counterfeit ads on the platform.

Meta did not show that it was entitled to safe harbor from sculptor JL Cook’s claims under federal copyright law and could be liable for copyright infringement, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said in a Wednesday ruling.

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Cook’s attorney Brian Gudmundson of Zimmerman Reed said Thursday that they were looking forward to entering the discovery phase of the case to learn more about “what is going on at Facebook that is causing this to happen to artists and creators across the country.”

Cook specializes in art depicting snakes and other reptiles. She told the court that counterfeiters have copied and reposted photos of her work in Facebook ads, leading to customers buying knockoffs