downthetubes News Round Up - Friday 21st March 2024: AI, Battle Action, Daleks and more
Don't miss my video look at an amazing new art book, below...
I’m just digesting The Atlantic’s latest news item about the use of pirated books by META, owners of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WatsApp to train their AI tools. You can now search a snapshot of LibGen, the Pirated-Books database that Meta used here. This search tool is part of The Atlantic’s investigation into the Library Genesis data set.
A very quick search among the material included are works by authors and comic creators I’ve either worked with or know, including Garth Ennis, Paul Gravett, John Hemry, Rik Hoskin, Rian Hughes, Patrick Mills, Alan Moore John Peel, John Wagner Stephen James Walker, and Dayton Ward - to name but a few.
Legal action is underway in the United States against Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic, and other AI companies for using pirated books to train their AI systems. The US-based Authors Guild states that if your book was used by Meta and you live in the US, you’re automatically included in the Kadrey v. Meta class action in Northern California without needing to take any immediate action. The court is first deciding whether Meta broke copyright laws, with a decision expected this summer, before officially certifying everyone as a class. The Authors Guild has more information here.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported France's leading publishing and authors' associations have filed a lawsuit against Meta for allegedly using copyright-protected content on a massive scale without authorisation to train its artificial intelligence (AI) systems. A group of Canadian media companies have filed a lawsuit against the AI giant for – you guessed it – copyright infringement (PDF Link), as has Asian News International – one of India’s largest news agencies.
In the UK, the Writers Guild says it is aware that some of their members have found that their work has been used without their consent in LibGen. The WGGB have been campaigning and lobbying for increased protection for writers, to stop companies from taking their work without permission or payment.
You can find out what they’ve been doing and what you can do to help the campaign, on their campaign page.
The WGGB offers the following advice to British writers that, if you find your books in the LibGen database, or if you know that any AI system has detailed information about your work:
Tell your publisher (and agent if you have one) – like authors, publishers are working to understand the scale of the issue. We are working with publishers and taking an industry-wide response. As part of the WGGB’s work in this area, they recently responded to the Government consultation on copyright and AI
Send a letter to AI companies telling them that they do not have the right to use your books. Doing this via the Authors Guild website will help show solidarity with the legal action they are taking (the template letter on the Authors Guild website was originally in response to the Books3 database but you can still use it).
If you are a member of WGGB, contact casework@writersguild.org.uk
I hope this is useful advice for the many creators out there who are, rightly, concerned by this.
On with our News Round Up from downthetubes! | Our full news archive is here
New Comics
• Battle Action #8 lands next week, Johnny Red and Nina Petrova front and centre
Beware the Angel of Death!
• Martin Lodewijk and John M. Burns “Zetari” heads to English language publication
A Very Special Edition in the works at last
• Star Trek comics round up: new limited comic series, collections warping your way
Heading your way soon from IDW
• Titan Comics signs with Lunar Distribution
Comic shop distribution changes ahead!
• “Nu Earth War Tales” launches in 2000AD, “Atomfall” game gets comic prequel
A special games prequel awaits!
• New album, Asterix in Lusitania to get October 2025 release
Asterix and Obelix are off to what’s known today as Portugal
Creating Comics
• Creating Comics: An Interview with BEANO Editor John Anderson
A chat with the Beano editor about its past and future!
• Comic creator RE Burke freed from US detention, back in the UK
Good news for a talented creator - we wish her and her family well after events in the US
• New Hugo Pratt exhibition at Galerie Du 9ÈME Art in Paris
Always in balance between imagination and reality, Hugo Pratt made his works eternal
Upcoming Comic Events
Don’t forget to keep an eye on our Events Guide and Exhibitions Guide!
• Zinezilla returns to Bristol in September
Applications for tables open until 20th April
Beyond Comics…
• Doctor Who writer Malcolm Hulke Book Launch in Hampstead next month
Book Launch in Hampstead
• Star Trek Original Series Cups, and Tribbles too, just a parsec away from Master Replicas
A fluff ball is a perfect pet: it exists only for your affection…
Recommended Reading: The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner
Telos Publishing very kindly sent me an advance copy of their absolutely stunning The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner, written by the late John Lawrence, the artist’s long-time friend and agent. If you’re a fan of his work on TV Century 21, 2000AD, his work on various SF magazines, then you will most certainly want to buy this!
Here’s a very quick flip through the book… enjoy! It’s an absolute delight and a must for Dalek fans!
The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner by John Lawrence | 384 Pages | Large format 11×8.5-format full colour hardback | ISBN 978-1845832353 | Available direct from Telos Publishing | Also available from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Have a great weekend, all!