In a significant escalation of tensions between content platforms and AI developers, Reddit filed a lawsuit against Anthropic on June 4, 2025, accusing the AI startup of unlawfully using its platform's data to train AI models without proper authorization.
The complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that Anthropic violated Reddit's user agreement by scraping the site's content for commercial purposes without consent. Reddit claims that after Anthropic publicly stated in July 2024 that it had blocked its bots from accessing Reddit, the company's crawlers continued to hit Reddit's servers more than 100,000 times.
"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.
The lawsuit is particularly notable as Reddit has established paid data licensing agreements with other major AI companies. In February 2024, Reddit struck a reported $60 million annual deal with Google, followed by a similar arrangement with OpenAI in May 2024. These agreements include specific terms that protect user privacy and consent—terms that Reddit claims Anthropic has refused to accept.
Anthropic, valued at approximately $61.5 billion following a $3.5 billion funding round in February, has contested the allegations. "We disagree with Reddit's claims and will defend ourselves vigorously," an Anthropic spokesperson stated.
The case joins a growing list of legal challenges against AI companies over training data practices. The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft for using its articles without permission, while various authors and music publishers have filed similar claims against Meta and other AI firms.
If successful, Reddit's lawsuit could establish an important precedent for how platforms assert control over their data and negotiate compensation in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. The company is seeking compensatory damages, restitution for Anthropic's alleged unjust enrichment, and an injunction prohibiting the AI firm from continuing to use Reddit's content.