Apple Requests Court to Toss YouTube Creators' AI Training Lawsuit

Apple has filed a motion to dismiss a class‑action lawsuit filed in April 2026 by the owners of three YouTube channels—h3h3Productions, MrShortGameGolf and Golfholics. The plaintiffs allege Apple scraped millions of publicly available YouTube videos to train its artificial‑intelligence models, violating the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In its response, Apple argues that the videos were freely accessible without passwords or payments, that the DMCA and YouTube’s Terms of Service permit such access, and that YouTube’s anti‑download measures do not restrict viewing of the content. Apple says the plaintiffs have failed to state a valid claim and seeks dismissal of the case. The dispute highlights a broader debate over how technology companies may use online content for AI development and could influence future copyright and AI policy.