Apple is seeking dismissal of a class-action lawsuit filed by three YouTube channel owners who accuse the company of improperly using YouTube videos to train AI models. The plaintiffs filed the case in April 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The channels involved include h3h3Productions (h3h3Productions and the H3 Podcast), MrShortGameGolf, and Golfholics. The complaint alleges Apple accessed and scraped millions of copyrighted videos, claiming Apple “deliberately circumvented” protections and “profited substantially,” in violation of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
In its response, Apple argues the lawsuit fails because the videos were publicly available on YouTube and therefore were lawfully accessible. Apple contends that public posting means there is no “password, payment, or lock” controlling access, and that the relevant DMCA claim under §1201(a) does not apply when the works are available to the general public. Apple also says YouTube’s Terms of Service permitted access. Apple requests the court dismiss the case, asserting the plaintiffs have failed to state a claim.
