Key holding or allegation
On 19 Aug 2026 the court denied Snap's motion to dismiss the consolidated complaint, allowing the DMCA anti-circumvention claim to proceed on the pleaded facts.
Why it matters
First in a cluster of 2026 rulings applying DMCA anti-circumvention doctrine to alleged YouTube scraping for generative video AI training.
Facts
Creators allege Snap bypassed YouTube technological controls to obtain native video files at scale for generative-AI training.
Issues before the court
Whether the alleged rolling ciphers, short-lived URLs, CAPTCHAs, proof-of-origin tokens and rate limits qualify as access controls and whether the alleged scraping states a §1201(a) claim.
What the court did not decide
No finding that Snap actually circumvented a control, infringed copyright or used plaintiffs' videos for training; ultimate liability and remedies remain unresolved.
Procedural timeline
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Complaint filed: Plaintiffs alleged circumvention of YouTube controls to acquire videos for generative-AI training.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Motion-to-dismiss order: Court denied Snap's motion to dismiss the consolidated DMCA §1201(a) claim.