In a bold move that could reshape the ongoing conversation around AI and data ownership, Reddit has filed a lawsuit against AI startup Anthropic, accusing it of using Reddit’s data to train its AI models — without any licensing agreement in place.
The lawsuit, filed in a Northern California court on Wednesday, claims Anthropic scraped and used Reddit content commercially in violation of the platform’s user agreement. Reddit is seeking compensation and calling for accountability in what it frames as a blatant disregard for its rules and community.
“We will not tolerate profit-seeking entities like Anthropic commercially exploiting Reddit content for billions of dollars without any return for redditors or respect for their privacy,” said Ben Lee, Reddit’s Chief Legal Officer, in a statement to TechCrunch.
This lawsuit places Reddit among a growing list of content platforms and creators who are pushing back against how their data is being used to train powerful generative AI systems. But what makes this case stand out? Reddit is the first Big Tech player to take legal action over AI training data — a significant escalation.
It’s not an isolated case. The New York Times has also sued OpenAI and Microsoft for using its journalism without permission. Comedians like Sarah Silverman and authors have targeted Meta over similar practices. And music publishers are challenging AI startups that generate synthetic songs based on artists’ styles — all arguing their content is being taken and monetized without consent.
Interestingly, Reddit itself has already struck data licensing deals with OpenAI and Google, giving them access to Reddit’s posts for use in AI products like ChatGPT and Gemini. According to the platform, those agreements come with “clear terms” that safeguard privacy and user interests — a sharp contrast to how it describes Anthropic’s behavior.
The legal document reveals more: Reddit claims it explicitly told Anthropic that it wasn’t authorized to scrape or use Reddit data. But Anthropic, it alleges, “refused to engage.” The complaint even accuses the startup’s bots of blatantly ignoring robots.txt files — those polite “do not disturb” signs for web crawlers. Reddit claims that even after Anthropic said it had blocked its bots in 2024, they kept scraping — over 100,000 times.
Reddit is now demanding compensatory damages and restitution, essentially asking Anthropic to return the value it gained from Reddit’s content. The company is also seeking a court order to stop Anthropic from continuing these practices.
Anthropic, for its part, isn’t backing down.
“We disagree with Reddit’s claims and will defend ourselves vigorously,” said Anthropic spokesperson Danielle Ghighlieri in a statement to TechCrunch.
There’s an extra layer of intrigue here. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — who has a close relationship with Reddit, holding an 8.7% stake and having previously served on its board — is watching from the sidelines as one of Reddit’s AI partners. That contrast between Anthropic and OpenAI may become a focal point in the legal and ethical debate.
As the AI boom continues to reshape industries, this lawsuit could become a defining moment in how companies negotiate the complex intersection of public data, user privacy, and artificial intelligence.
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