AI scraping of books: When does fair use stop and larceny begin?

Society of Authors: scraping pirated books for AI isn’t fair use

The plundering of pirated books to train AI gets authors wondering: when does ‘fair use’ stop and larceny begin? The line is blurred and the Society of Authors demands answers.

US magazine The Atlantic recently revealed that Meta, the owner of Facebook, scraped pirated book hosted by shadow library LibGen to train its flagship AI model, Llama3. The magazine reported that Meta justified its decision to use the library – which has already upset publishers for copyright infringement – under ‘fair use’.

The Society of Authors takes a different view. Its Policy Team has released a statement objecting to this practice, stating that for a company that has a market capitalisation of £1.147 trillion, Meta’s action is unacceptable.

On 31 October 2023, the Society of Authors, the Publishers Association, the Association of Authors’ Agents, and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society released an industry statement calling for “urgent confirmation from (the UK) Government to ensure that AI systems cannot continue to use copyright-protected works with impunity”.

They demanded “acknowledgement of and recompense for the copyright infringement that has already happened – including the pirated Books3 database used to develop many high-profile systems”. They also wanted transparency and attribution, stressing that “an end to the opaque development of AI is long overdue.”

They also wanted transparency and attribution, stressing that “an end to the opaque development of AI is long overdue.”

Ancient Kedah reframes Malaysia’s archaeological narrative

It’s not the kind of book that compels you with engaging storytelling like This Sceptred Isle or Gayatri Rajapatni. But Ancient Kedah: History, Archaeology & New Narratives is the kind of non-fiction that will open the doors to those type of compelling historical books. And possibly fiction, too.

The Ancient Kedah or Kedah Tua in question is examined within the timeframe of 100 AD to 1400 AD. *Publishers: USM & ThinkCity*

Written by archaeologists Dr Nasha Rodziadi Khaw, Dr Nazarudin Zainun and Dr Suresh Narayanen, the book presents us with simple facts on Bujang Valley in Kedah, Malaysia, including the recent findings in the Bukit Choras archaeological site. The Ancient Kedah or Kedah Tua in question is examined within the timeframe of 100 AD to 1400 AD. The extent of Kedah Tua stretched from Takuapa in Southern Thailand to Beruas, Perak, in the north of the Malay Peninsula.

The publication of the book is the perfect follow-up to the celebrated discovery by Dr Khaw’s team of the Choras Hill statue of the sitting Buddha at a site older than Angkor Wat. The artefact validated the early Malays’ historical place in the ancient Hindu-Buddhist stratosphere. It’s the strategic dot that connects India and China, two nations of almost equal distance from the Malay Peninsula. It’s another piece of the Srivijayan puzzle that connects the Malaysian past with Indonesia’s. The digs at the Sungai Batu Archaeological Complex unearthed jetty sites, stupa sites, glass beads and iron smelting sites; the latter with smelting techniques comparable to those in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

The publication of the book is the perfect follow-up to the celebrated discovery by Dr Khaw’s team of the Choras Hill statue of the sitting Buddha. *Publishers: USM & ThinkCity*

The book frames the port city within a new narrative. The old narrative presented Bujang Valley as a seaport focussed on international trade. The new findings point to diverse economic activities, long distance trades, industry and exploitation of natural resources. The polity was made up of a confederation of ports and seaside settlements that preceded the Malaccan Sultanate by two millennia. It was a plural society where Malays of Hindu-Buddhist belief system lived side-by-side with migrant communities, as well as Malays and other indigenous tribes who practised animism.

The artefact validated the early Malays’ historical place in the ancient Hindu-Buddhist stratosphere. It’s the strategic dot that connects India and China. It’s another piece of the Srivijayan puzzle that connects the Malaysian past with Indonesia’s.

The authors attributed data of Bujang Valley to those who mentioned the port city in texts such as the I-Ching’s Book of Changes, The Tale of Merong Mahawangsa, as well as researchers from 1848 to the current team of archaeologists.

Most intriguing are the topographical maps of Kedah Bay, which also illustrates how the sediments accumulated over the centuries. There’s also a mention of the possible Persian or Greek figure behind the semi-mythical Merong Mahawangsa, the progenitor of the northern Malays.

The extent of Kedah Tua stretched from Takuapa in Southern Thailand to Beruas, Perak, in the north of the Malay Peninsula. *Publishers: USM & ThinkCity*

If positioned well, we predict this book to be a sensation at upcoming book fairs. Dr Khaw is starting to make his book rounds, and below is information on his talks on Ancient Kedah.

Book talks

Ancient Kedah: History, Archeology & New Narratives

Host: Penang Institute, co-organised by George Town Literary Festival
Speaker: Dr Nasha Rodziadi Khaw
Moderator: Dr Tan Lee Ooi
Date: Tuesday, 8 April 2025, Tuesday
Time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Venue: Penang Institute, 10-12 Brown Road, 10350 Penang, Malaysia

Ancient Kedah and India: The Enduring Bond of Trade, Industry and Diplomacy. An Illustrated Lecture by Dr Nasha Khaw

Host: Sutra Foundation in association with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose India Cultural Centre (NSCBICC) and Malaysia-India Heritage Society
Guest of Honour: HE Shri BN Reddy, High Commissioner of India to Malaysia
Date: Saturday, 19 April 2025
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: NSCBICC, 17^th Floor, Menara Sentral Vista, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

International Conference on Kedah Tua: Bujang Valley in a Regional Context

Dates: 19-20 May 2025
Venue: Ascott Gurney Hotel, Penang, Malaysia
Keynote speaker: Prof Dr Peter Skilling, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Speakers: Associate Prof Dr Nasha Rodziadi Khaw, Universiti Sains Malaysia; Dr Pipad Krajaejun, Thammasat University, Thailand; Prof Dr Cheda Tingsanchali, Silpakorn University, Thailand; Prof Dr Agus Aris Munandar, Universitas Indonesia; Dr Wahyu Rizki Andhifani, National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia; Prof Dr Chantourn Thuy, Royal Academy of Cambodia; Prof Dr Sunil Patnaik, Institute Maritime and Southeast Asian Studies, India; Prof Dr Bill Mak, University of Science and Technology of China.

Lest we forget: The 442^nd, the Japanese American regiment

It was a Redditor who highlighted two weeks ago that the US Army webpage dedicated to the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team has been removed. The 442nd was the most decorated regiment that fought for the US in Europe during World War 2. They consisted of Japanese American soldiers.

Disappointed to see that the US Army website has removed the Japanese American 442nd RCT webpage
byu/geekteam6 inarmy

Could it be another Trump’s anti-woke (or anti-Asian) purge? The website stated: “Archived historical content from culturally-focused Army websites is under review for compliance with Executive and OSD policy”.

Well, it’s never off Tony Moy’s website. We learned of the illustrator’s comic book on the 442nd when we came across his work at MCM Comic Con London 2023. Recently, Moy highlighted the project again at a US comic convention. Do check out this comic book and please pledge your support for this project.

The 442nd was the most decorated regiment that fought for the US in Europe during World War 2. *Image: Story Of Books*

We came across Tony Moy’s work at MCM Comic Con London 2023. *Image: Story Of Books*

About The 4Forty2nd: The Lost Battalion

Tony Moy at MCM Comic Con London 2023

MCM Comic Con October 2023: Speakers (Story Of Books, 30 October 2023)
MCM Comic Con: Day 2 In Photos (Story Of Books, 29 October 2023)

Sheikh Zayed Book Award shortlists announced

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced the shortlists for its 19th edition, including authors from 15 different countries. The award is of the world’s leading prizes dedicated to Arabic literature and culture. The 19th edition set a new benchmark with over 4,000 submissions from 75 countries. Notably, this year welcomed first-time entries from five new nations — Albania, Bolivia, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mali — further underscoring the global influence and prestige of the award.

*Travels of the City of Clay Trilogy* by Saud Alsanousi.

Twenty-one authors made it to the final round, with three competing for each of these seven categories:

Literature
Children’s Literature
Arab Culture in Other Languages
Translation
Literary and Art Criticism
Contribution to the Development of Nations
Editing of Arabic Manuscripts

This year’s shortlist also includes internationally acclaimed authors Ahmed Mourad, Saud Alsanousi and Hoda Barakat, all of whose work is available in English translation, alongside British academic Andrew Peacock and former president of the American Oriental Society Beatrice Gründler.

The winners will each receive 750,000 UAE dirhams (£163,408 / $204,195) at the Award Ceremony taking place at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on 28 April 2025.