Tech

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled late on Monday that Anthropic’s use of books without permission to train its artificial intelligence system was legal under US copyright law.

Siding with tech companies on a pivotal question for the AI industry, US District Judge William Alsup said Anthropic made “fair use” of books by writers Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson to train its Claude large language model.

Alsup also said, however, that Anthropic’s copying and storage of more than seven million pirated books in a “central library” infringed the authors’ copyrights and was not fair use. The judge has ordered a trial in December to determine how much Anthropic owes for the infringement.

US copyright law says that willful copyright infringement can justify statutory damages of up to $150,000 (roughly Rs. 1.28 crore) per work.

An Anthropic spokesperson said the company was pleased that the court recognized its AI training was “transformative” and “consistent with copyright’s purpose in enabling creativity and fostering scientific progress.”

The writers filed the proposed class action against Anthropic last year, arguing that the company, which is backed by Amazon and Alphabet, used pirated versions of their books without permission or compensation to teach Claude to respond to human prompts.

The proposed class action is one of several lawsuits brought by authors, news outlets and other copyright owners against companies including OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms over their AI training.

The doctrine of fair use allows the use of copyrighted works without the copyright owner’s permission in some circumstances.

Fair use is a key legal defense for the tech companies, and Alsup’s decision is the first to address it in the context of generative AI.

AI companies argue their systems make fair use of copyrighted material to create new, transformative content, and that being forced to pay copyright holders for their work could hamstring the burgeoning AI industry.

Anthropic told the court that it made fair use of the books and that US copyright law “not only allows, but encourages” its AI training because it promotes human creativity. The company said its system copied the books to “study Plaintiffs’ writing, extract uncopyrightable information from it, and use what it learned to create revolutionary technology.”

Copyright owners say that AI companies are unlawfully copying their work to generate competing content that threatens their livelihoods.

Alsup agreed with Anthropic on Monday that its training was “exceedingly transformative.”

“Like any reader aspiring to be a writer, Anthropic’s LLMs trained upon works not to race ahead and replicate or supplant them — but to turn a hard corner and create something different,” Alsup said.

Alsup also said, however, that Anthropic violated the authors’ rights by saving pirated copies of their books as part of a “central library of all the books in the world” that would not necessarily be used for AI training.

Anthropic and other prominent AI companies including OpenAI and Meta Platforms have been accused of downloading pirated digital copies of millions of books to train their systems.

Anthropic had told Alsup in a court filing that the source of its books was irrelevant to fair use.

“This order doubts that any accused infringer could ever meet its burden of explaining why downloading source copies from pirate sites that it could have purchased or otherwise accessed lawfully was itself reasonably necessary to any subsequent fair use,” Alsup said on  Monday.

© Thomson Reuters 2025

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dying Light, the acclaimed 2015 survival horror title from Techland, is getting an update featuring graphics and audio enhancements. Dying Light: Retouched Update will be released June 26 across PC and consoles. First announced in January, the update will include improvements to textures, lighting, draw distances and shadow quality, alongside a remastered soundtrack. Techland is gearing up to launch Dying Light: The Beast, the third entry in the series, in August. 

Dying Light: Retouched Update Coming This Week

The studio revealed the release date for Dying Light: Retouched Update and detailed the improvements included in a blog post on Tuesday. Dying Light franchise director Tymon Smektała clarified that the update, which marks 10 years of the cult classic game, was a not a remaster of the game and only featured specific enhancements to visuals. 

“Quite a few of you were expecting a full remaster of some sort,” Smektała said. “So, let’s set the record straight: the Retouched Update is about squeezing out even more from the Dying Light you already love. It’s not a complete overhaul or remaster.” 

Dying Light: Retouched Update will feature improved and upscaled texture quality of surroundings, bringing a sharper look to assets in the game. The update also includes improved lighting and physics-based rendering that enhance reflections from metal surfaces in the game. 

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve added a lot, customized a lot, and learned how to squeeze more from the tech we already have. One day, someone just started applying those learnings to some old assets – and it just clicked that we could do that across the whole game,” Grzegorz Świstowski, franchise technical game director, explained the idea behind the Retouched update. 

A before and after image, showcasing visual enhancements to surfaces, reflections
Photo Credit: Techland

Techland has also boosted the maximum LOD (level of detail) range from 260 percent to 340 percent in the view distance menu in the game options. This will allow players on modern systems to increase the distance of detailed assets in the game, the developer said.

Additionally, floors, walls and some other surfaces in Dying Light will receive a new 8K ultra shadow quality and improved lighting to add detail and depth to them. 

All these visual enhancements, however, do not change the system requirements for the game, Techland confirmed.  

Finally, Dying Light composer Paweł Blaszczak has remastered the game’s entire soundtrack and added new tracks and ambient sounds in the game. Audio feedback during combat has also been beefed up to sound crunchier and more impactful. 

Dying Light: Retouched Update will arrive as a free download for all Dying Light owners on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X on June 26.  

Techland’s next game, Dying Light: The Beast, will launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on August 22. A previous-gen console version of the game will be released later this year. 

Honor X9c will launch in India soon, the company confirmed. The smartphone will be available for purchase exclusively via Amazon. It was unveiled in select global markets in November 2024. The Indian variant is teased to come with a 108-megapixel primary rear camera, similar to its global counterpart. Several other key features of the Honor X9c have been confirmed ahead of its launch. It is expected to succeed the Honor X9b, which was introduced in India in February 2024.

Honor X9c India Launch: All We Know

The Honor X9c will launch in India soon, the company confirmed in an X post. While an exact launch date has yet to be announced, the phone will be available for purchase in the country exclusively via Amazon, the company confirmed in a press release. 

Notably, a live Amazon microsite for the Honor X9c reveals that the phone gets an SGS drop resistance certification. It gets an IP65M rating for dust and 360-degree water resistance, similar to the global variant. With Honor’s Power Management System, the phone is said to deliver stable performance even in extreme temperature conditions. The handset will measure 7.98mm in thickness and weigh 189g.

The Honor X9c is confirmed to be backed by a 6,600mAh battery with 66W wired SuperCharge support. For optics, the smartphone will sport a 108-megapixel main rear sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and up to 3x lossless zoom. The camera setup will offer both optical image stabilisation (OIS) and electronic image stabilisation (EIS). The phone is said to get AI-backed editing features like AI Erase and Motion Sensing.

Honor has revealed that the upcoming Indian version of the X9c will ship with Android 15-based MagicOS 9.0. It will be equipped with a dual stereo speaker system, which is claimed to provide 300 percent louder sound. The smartphone will sport a 6.78-inch 1.5K curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, up to 4,000 nits brightness level, and a 3,840Hz PWM dimming rate.

In Malaysia, the 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB variants of the Honor X9c are priced at MYR 1,499 (roughly Rs. 28,700) and MYR 1,699 (roughly Rs. 32,500), respectively. The global variant is powered by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, and offers a 16-megapixel selfie shooter. 

Google DeepMind released a new Gemini Robotics artificial intelligence (AI) model on Tuesday that can run entirely on a local device. Dubbed Gemini Robotics On-Device, it is a voice-language-action (VLA) model that can make robots perform a wide range of tasks in real-world environments. The Mountain View-based tech giant said that since the AI model functions without the need to be connected with a data network, it is more useful for applications that are latency sensitive. Currently, the model is available to those who have signed up for its trusted tester programme.

Google’s New Robotics Model Runs Entirely On-Device

In a blog post, Carolina Parada, a Senior Director and Head of Robotics at Google DeepMind, announced the release of Gemini Robotics On-Device. The new VLA model can be accessed via a Gemini Robotics software development kit (SDK) after signing up for its tester programme. The model can also be tested on the company’s MuJoCo physics simulator.

Since it is a proprietary model, details about its architecture and training methods are not known. However, Google has highlighted its capabilities. The VLA model is designed for bi-arm robots and has minimal computational requirements. Despite that, the model allows for experimentation, and the company claims that it can adapt to new tasks with just 50 to 100 demonstrations.

Gemini Robotics On-Device also adheres to natural language instructions and can perform complex tasks such as unzipping bags or folding clothes. Based on internal testing, the tech giant claims that the AI model “exhibits strong generalisation performance while running entirely locally.” Additionally, it is also said to outperform other on-device models on “more challenging out-of-distribution tasks and complex multi-step instructions.”

Notably, Google highlighted that while the AI model was trained for ALOHA robots, researchers were also able to adapt it to Franka FR3 and Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robots. All of these are bi-arm robots, which is the only configuration that is compatible with Gemini Robotics On-Device.

The AI model was able to adhere to instructions and perform general tasks on all the different robots. Additionally, it could also handle previously unseen objects and scenarios, and even execute industrial belt assembly tasks that require a high level of precision and dexterity, the company claimed.

Oppo Reno 14F 5G was launched in select global markets on Tuesday. The new Oppo Reno series smartphone comes in three colourways with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset under the hood. It houses a 6,000mAh battery with 45W wired charging support. The Oppo Reno 14F 5G boasts a triple rear camera unit headlined by a 50-megapixel primary camera. It has a 6.57-inch display and carries up to 12GB of RAM. 

Oppo Reno 14F 5G Price, Availability

The Oppo Reno 14F 5G comes in Glossy Pink, Luminous Green, and Opal Blue colour options. Price details of the phone were not listed on the company’s official Taiwan website at the time of writing. However, it is currently listed for sale on the e-commerce website TW Forwardmall with a price tag of NTD 14,300 (roughly Rs. 41,800) for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model.

The 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB RAM and storage models of the Oppo Reno 14F 5G are priced at NTD 15,200 (roughly Rs. 44,000) and NTD 22,700 (roughly Rs. 65,000), respectively. 

Oppo Reno 14F 5G Specifications

The dual-SIM (nano) Oppo Reno 14F 5G runs on Android 15 with the company’s ColorOS 15 skin on top. It sports a 6.57-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,372 pixels) OLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. It runs on a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset with Adreno A710 GPU. The handset packs up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

For optics, the Oppo Reno 14F 5G has a triple rear camera unit, led by a 50-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and autofocus. The setup also includes an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. On the front, it sports a 32-megapixel sensor for selfies and video chats. It offers AI-based photography features, like AI Flash Livephoto, AI Flash Image. The handset has a 4,290mm sq vapour chamber area for thermal management. 

Connectivity options on the Oppo Reno 14F 5G include 5G, Bluetooth, Beidou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS. It boasts an in-display fingerprint sensor for authentication. It supports face unlock feature as well. Onboard sensors include ambient light sensor, accelerometer, colour temperature sensor, e-compass, gyroscope and proximity sensor.

The Oppo Reno 14F 5G carries a 6,000mAh battery with 45W charging support. It measures 158.12 x 74.97 x 7.78mm and weighs around 180 grams. The phone is claimed to meet IP66+IP68+IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. 

Samsung Galaxy Buds Core were expected to be introduced alongside the next generation of Galaxy foldables on July 9. However, the South Korean tech conglomerate has now teased a launch date much earlier than its Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event. A microsite dedicated to the launch on an e-commerce platform teases that the true-wireless-stereo (TWS) earphones will go on sale in India on June 27. This hints towards their possible debut on the same day.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Core Launch Date

Samsung Galaxy Buds Core are speculated to be the successor to 2023’s original Galaxy Buds FE. According to a teaser page on the Amazon India website, the sale of the TWS earphones in India will begin on June 27 at 12:00 pm IST. It is likely. that Samsung could do a soft launch for the Galaxy Buds Core on the same day. 

Samsung Galaxy Buds Core teaser page on Amazon
Photo Credit: Amazon

The teaser page does not contain any other information apart from the confirmation of their availability. However, it does reveal that Amazon will be one of the channels through which buyers will be able to purchase the Galaxy Buds Core.

Previously, the TWS earphones were expected to arrive at the Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event on July 9. However, Samsung’s recent teaser refutes these claims. Notably, the Galaxy Buds Core were previously also listed on Samsung UAE’s website for a short period which shed light on their likely specifications.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Core Specifications (Expected)

Past reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Buds Core will be offered in two simple colour options — black and white. The TWS earphones are said to come with an IP54-rated build for protection against dust and water penetration. They may offer touch-based controls via a sensor on the back of each earbud.

Leaks also claim that the Galaxy Buds Core will debut with support for active noise cancellation (ANC). Further, they are speculated to have several features backed by artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the Galaxy AI suite. For example, users may be able to take advantage of Interpreter mode and Live Translate features for translation in real time when paired with a compatible Galaxy smartphone.

In terms of connectivity, the TWS earphones may offer Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity and support for A2DP, AVRCP, and HFP Bluetooth profiles. They could also get AAC, SBC, and Scalable codec support. Samsung is also reported to bump up the battery to 100mAh per earbud, while the charging case could have a 500mAh battery capacity.

Apple’s rumoured iPhone 17 Pro models will arrive with a notable change to the rear panel, according to recent reports. Unlike the company’s current flagship, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are said to feature an extended camera module that stretches across to the top of the rear panel. An image leaked by a tipster gives us a closer look at the iPhone 17 Pro from two angles. Unlike the iPhone 17 Pro models, the design of the regular iPhone 17 is said to be similar to the iPhone 16.

iPhone 17 Pro Camera Module Design (Expected)

A post on X (formerly Twitter) by tipster “Majin Bu” contains two images of dummy units of the purported iPhone 17 Pro. The handset is seen in a black colourway, and the pictures provide a clear view of the redesigned rear camera module on the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Like previous images that show the design of the rumoured iPhone 17 Pro models, the dummy units seen in the latest leak also suggest that Apple will stick with the same camera ring layout for the successors to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The LED flash and the LiDAR scanner are both located on the right side of this extended camera module. 

We can also see the camera module from the left side, which also shows us how thick it might be. The camera island is higher than the rear panel, and the circular camera rings are even taller, located in the left corner of the rear panel.

Some reports suggested that Apple would also introduce a redesigned lower half of the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a combination of glass and metal. However, recent dummy unit leaks, including this one, do not show this redesigned portion. It’s currently unclear whether Apple will equip its upcoming handsets with a redesigned rear panel that uses metal and glass.

The same leaker recently claimed that Apple would equip the iPhone 17 Pro models with a vapour chamber (VC) cooling system to keep temperatures in check when the company’s A19 Pro chip arrives on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Meanwhile, a leaked hands on video of the purported iPhone 17 Pro Max suggests it will arrive with a thicker chassis.