Big Tech lands an early win in legal battles against publishers

10 snips

Jun 27, 2025

Joining the discussion is Sean O’Kane, a savvy transportation reporter known for his insights into tech and innovation. The conversation covers the recent legal victories for AI giants Meta and Anthropic, which could redefine copyright issues in tech. They explore the implications of using copyrighted materials for AI training and what it means for future lawsuits. Additionally, the talk touches on Kalshi's significant funding round, the rise of prediction markets, and innovations in reusable satellite technology that could shape the industry's landscape.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Sam Altman's Confrontation

Sam Altman interrupted a New York Times event to confront them about their lawsuit against OpenAI.
This illustrates the tension between AI companies and media publishers regarding copyright issues.

INSIGHT

Prediction Markets' Dual Role

Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket blend gambling and information, influencing political discourse.
These platforms can show early signals but are vulnerable to swings and legal scrutiny.

INSIGHT

Entertainment and Limits in Betting

Betting markets can be addictive entertainment while attempting to produce information.
Late reversals often match real-world news, showing limits in prediction accuracy.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

This week, two major AI companies scored early wins in court, with federal judges siding with Meta and Anthropic in separate lawsuits over how their models were trained on copyrighted material.

The decisions represent the first real legal validation of AI companies’ argument that training models on books, images, and other creative works can be considered “fair use” — even if those materials weren’t obtained with permission. It’s a big deal for companies building generative AI, and a potential turning point for the many lawsuits still in motion.

Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Max Zeff and Anthony Ha were joined by Sean O’Kane (who graciously stepped in while Kirsten headed off to the Nevada desert to see the next big act of Redwood Materials, the battery recycling and materials startup founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel) to dive deeper into the rulings. While neither case sets a precedent yet, Anthony noted that appeals are likely, and broader challenges could ultimately shape how AI companies interact with entire industries going forward.

Listen to the full episode to hear more highlights from the week, including:

Kalshi’s $185M round, and what it says about the rising (and legally murky) world of prediction markets
The startup betting on reusable satellites, and why the Department of Defense is paying attention
Tesla’s robotaxi rollout in Austin, and how it stacks up against Waymo and other AV companies’ approaches

Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices