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Publishers Ask US Court to Let Them Join Google AI Copyright Fight

By  |  January 18, 2026

Two major publishing companies are seeking to enter a high-profile copyright lawsuit against Google, arguing that their works were improperly used to train the tech giant’s artificial intelligence systems.

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    Hachette Book Group and Cengage Group asked a federal court in California on Thursday for permission to intervene in a proposed class action accusing Google of misusing copyrighted material, according to Reuters. The move could broaden the scope of the case and potentially raise the financial stakes for the company.

    In a proposed complaint filed with the court, the publishers allege that Google copied material from Hachette titles and Cengage textbooks without authorization while developing its AI technology. The filing characterizes the alleged conduct as widespread and unprecedented in scale, per Reuters.

    Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the publishers’ attempt to join the case, according to Reuters.

    Related: US Courts Poised to Shape the Future of AI Copyright Battles in 2026

    Maria Pallante, chief executive of the Association of American Publishers, said the industry believes its involvement would strengthen the lawsuit. “We believe our participation will bolster the case, especially because publishers are uniquely positioned to address many of the legal, factual, and evidentiary questions before the Court,” Pallante said in a statement.

    The underlying lawsuit was originally brought by groups of visual artists and authors who claim Google improperly used their creative works to train its generative AI tools. The case is part of a growing wave of litigation by copyright holders against technology companies over how data is sourced for artificial intelligence, according to Reuters.

    Publishers pointed to 10 specific examples of books and textbooks they say were used without permission, including works by authors such as Scott Turow and N.K. Jemisin, to train Google’s Gemini large language model, per Reuters. They are seeking an unspecified amount of damages on behalf of themselves and a broader class of authors and publishers.

    U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee will decide whether the publishers will be allowed to intervene in the case.

    Source: Reuters