Anna's Archive Copyright Infringement Lawsuits and Actions

Reference TimelineLast updated
SUMMARY

A U.S. federal judge ordered Anna's Archive to pay $322 million in damages to Spotify and three major music labels on May 1, 2026, following allegations that the archive scraped approximately 86 million songs from Spotify. As of May 29, 2026, Anna's Archive has published an 'llms.txt' file, requesting AI companies acknowledge and potentially donate for scraped data, despite previous court orders for the archive to pay $322.2 million in damages and destroy copied data. This includes a May 19, 2026, ruling for Anna's Archive to pay $19.5 million to 13 major publishers for infringing on 130 works. Anna's Archive has continued to release scraped Spotify files and stated it does not intend to comply with court orders to delete data.

Timeline

Want updates on this thread?

Track this story

May 2026 — 3 developments

  1. Anna's Archive Requests Donations From AI Companies After Data Scraping Lawsuits

    Anna's Archive has published an 'llms.txt' file, requesting that AI companies acknowledge and potentially donate to the non-profit if they have scraped its data. This action follows previous court orders for the archive to pay $322.2 million in damages and destroy copied data.

  2. Anna's Archive ordered to pay $19.5 million to publishers for copyright infringement

    Anna's Archive has been ordered by a U.S. court to pay $19.5 million in damages to 13 major publishers for distributing pirated books and allegedly serving as a primary training data hub for AI companies. This ruling stems from claims that the archive infringed on 130 works. Anna's Archive did not appear in court, leading to a default judgment.

  3. Anna's Archive ordered to pay $322 million in damages to Spotify and music labels

    A US federal judge has ordered Anna's Archive to pay $322 million in damages to Spotify and three major music labels. The damages include $300 million for Spotify, $7.5 million for Sony and Universal Music, and $7.2 million for Warner Music. This ruling follows allegations that Anna's Archive scraped approximately 86 million songs from Spotify.

April 2026 — 1 developments

  1. Anna's Archive defies federal judge's order to delete scraped Spotify files

    Anna's Archive continues to release scraped Spotify files and has stated it does not intend to comply with a federal judge's order to delete data. This defiance occurs despite a preliminary injunction issued in January 2026 ordering the platform to cease distribution of copyrighted works.

March 2026 — 2 developments

  1. Spotify, Record Labels Seek $322.2M Default Judgment Against Anna's Archive

    Spotify and major record labels are seeking a default judgment of $322.2 million against Anna's Archive for failing to respond to a lawsuit filed in January 2026. The plaintiffs allege Anna's Archive scraped approximately 86 million music files and defied a court order by releasing millions of scraped music files.

  2. US Publishers Sue Anna's Archive for Copyright Infringement

    Thirteen US publishers, represented by the Association of American Publishers (AAP), have filed a lawsuit against Anna's Archive for alleged willful copyright infringement. The publishers are seeking permanent injunctive relief and court orders against third-party registries and registrars. The lawsuit also claims Anna's Archive is used by tech companies to train AI models in exchange for cryptocurrency.

February 2026 — 2 developments

  1. Anna's Archive Loses .PM Domain Amid International Pressure and Spotify Lawsuit

    Anna's Archive has lost its .PM domain name following international pressure exerted on intermediaries. This action comes in the wake of a significant lawsuit filed by Spotify and major record labels, who are seeking substantial damages from the platform.

  2. Anna's Archive releases millions of Spotify audio files despite $13 trillion lawsuit

    Anna's Archive has started releasing millions of audio files scraped from Spotify, despite facing a $13 trillion lawsuit from the music streaming giant and major record labels. The site is accused of "brazen theft of millions of files containing nearly all of the world's commercial sound recordings." TorrentFreak reported that Anna's Archive's index lists dozens of new torrents containing approximately 2.8 million tracks totaling roughly 6 terabytes of audio data.

January 2026 — 17 developments

  1. Anna's Archive domain suspensions face jurisdictional challenges, foreign intermediaries non-compliant

    Legal efforts to enforce domain suspensions against Anna's Archive are encountering jurisdictional challenges, with not all foreign intermediaries complying with U.S. court orders. Privacy-focused domain registrars are also not automatically adhering to the suspensions.

  2. Anna's Archive Found Guilty of Copyright Infringement, Faces $13 Trillion in Damages

    A court has found that Anna's Archive illegally reproduced and distributed copyrighted sound recordings, resulting in a worldwide injunction against the platform. Spotify and major record labels are seeking up to $13 trillion in damages.

  3. Record Labels Sue Spotify Over Links to Copyright-Infringing Site Anna's Archive

    Spotify is facing a lawsuit from major record labels alleging that the streaming platform allowed links directing users to Anna's Archive, a site known for unauthorized access to copyrighted material. The labels contend that Spotify facilitated access to infringing content by making these links accessible.

  5. Major Record Labels and Spotify Accuse Anna's Archive of Massive Copyright Infringement

    Major record labels Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group, along with Spotify, accused Anna's Archive of scraping 256 million audio track metadata and 86 million music files, representing 99.6% of Spotify's catalog. The lawsuit, which includes allegations of direct copyright infringement and breach of contract, also led to Public Interest Registry cutting services for Anna's Archive's .org domain without prior notification and the shutdown of its .se domain.

  6. Lawsuit against Anna's Archive filed under seal, leading to Cloudflare service cut-off

    New details emerged regarding the lawsuit against Anna's Archive, revealing it was initially filed under seal in December 2025 and led to a temporary restraining order compelling internet infrastructure providers, including Cloudflare, to cut off services. Anna's Archive failed to appear in court for the preliminary injunction, and the lawsuit alleges violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

  7. Anna's Archive Scraped 86 Million Music Files from Spotify, Facing Industry Lawsuit

    Anna's Archive claimed to have 'hacked' Spotify and scraped 86 million music files for 'preservation,' intending to release them in bulk torrents. The music industry's lawsuit alleges Anna's Archive unlawfully used Spotify's API to circumvent technical protection measures.

  8. Spotify and Record Labels Sue Anna's Archive for Unauthorized Music Scraping and Distribution

    It has been clarified that Spotify, alongside major record labels, is a plaintiff suing Anna's Archive for unauthorized scraping and distribution of music files, correcting previous reports that Spotify was being sued by labels.

  9. Anna's Archive faces U.S. federal court injunction over WorldCat database content

    Anna's Archive is facing additional legal challenges, including a permanent injunction from a U.S. federal court regarding the unauthorized use of WorldCat database content. This is separate from the ongoing lawsuit by Spotify and major record labels.

  11. Anna's Archive .in domain taken down; Nvidia accused of attempting to pay for pirated books

    The .in domain of Anna's Archive was taken down with a serverHold status, leaving .li and .pm as the primary operational mirrors. Additionally, an amended lawsuit against Nvidia accused the company of attempting to pay Anna's Archive for high-speed access to its pirated book collection for LLM training.

  14. Judge Orders Anna's Archive to Delete Scraped Data in Spotify Lawsuit

    A judge has ordered Anna's Archive to delete the scraped data. The lawsuit by Spotify and major record labels is viewed as a deliberate escalation, addressing mass scraping and DRM circumvention as an existential threat to streaming.

  15. Judge Rakoff orders Anna's Archive to cease copyright infringement, targets intermediaries

    U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff issued a preliminary injunction, ordering Anna's Archive to cease hosting, linking to, or distributing the copyrighted works, and also targeting third-party intermediaries like domain registries and hosting companies. The lawsuit was made public on this date.

December 2025 — 3 developments

  2. Music Giants Sue Anna's Archive for Copyright Infringement

    Spotify, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group filed a lawsuit against the unknown operators of Anna's Archive in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging mass copyright infringement, breach of contract, DMCA violations, and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act violations.

  3. Google delists 749 million Anna's Archive URLs, Spotify disables accounts after scraping incident

    Spotify has responded to the scraping incident by disabling involved user accounts and implementing new safeguards. Additionally, Google delisted approximately 749 million URLs associated with Anna's Archive following numerous takedown requests, and a court order from March 22, 2024, granted a motion to serve Anna's Archive by email.

November 2025 — 1 developments

  1. Google blocks 749 million Anna's Archive URLs from search results

    Google has blocked approximately 749 million Anna's Archive URLs from its search results following numerous takedown requests from copyright holders. This action is part of ongoing efforts to combat 'shadow libraries' and AI scraping.