Google is facing a multifaceted challenge to its data practices. A lawsuit from SerpApi claims Google scrapes the web just like everyone else, while a separate suit alleges unauthorized use of a radio host's voice in its NotebookLM AI. These legal battles, alongside antitrust concerns raised by European publishers, could reshape how Google gathers and uses data.
Yes, Google is facing a lawsuit from SerpApi, a web scraping tool company, which alleges that Google engages in web scraping practices similar to those it accuses SerpApi of doing. SerpApi argues that Google doesn't own a copyright on its search results because they are built on publicly available information.
David Greene, a former NPR host, is suing Google for allegedly using his voice without permission to train its NotebookLM AI. Greene claims Google violated California's right to publicity and unfair competition law by replicating his voice, though Google denies these allegations, stating the voice was performed by a professional actor.
The European Publishers Council (EPC) has filed an antitrust complaint against Google concerning its AI Overviews. They allege that Google is using publishers' content for AI training without proper licensing or compensation, forcing publishers to allow their content to be crawled and repurposed for Google’s AI features to maintain visibility.
SerpApi defends itself by claiming Google is the "largest scraper on the planet" and that SerpApi is simply doing what Google does. They argue that Google's search results are built on publicly available information and therefore not subject to copyright.
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