The complaint
Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC v. SpaceX Super Intelligence Corp. (f/k/a SpaceXAI Corp. and X.AI Corp.); SpaceX Super Intelligence LLC (f/k/a SpaceXAI LLC and X.AI LLC); and SpaceX Super Intelligence Holdings LLC (f/k/a SpaceXAI Holdings LLC and X.AI Holdings LLC; successor by merger to X.AI Holdings Corp.), No. 3:26-cv-13188 (N.D. Cal.), was filed November 4, 2026, ECF No. 1 (44 pages), with a jury demand. Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC is described as a Connecticut limited liability company and as owner or exclusive licensee of numerous copyrights in books published under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand. It alleges that since the first volume in 1993 the series has grown to hundreds of titles and sold more than 500 million copies, made up of curated collections of original narrative nonfiction, typically written in the first person. The complaint refers to the defendants collectively as xAI and pleads that they are related Nevada companies that own and operate Grok, with SpaceX Super Intelligence Holdings LLC owning SpaceX Super Intelligence Corp., which in turn owns SpaceX Super Intelligence LLC. The plaintiff states that it elects not to bring the case as a class action, because the Copyright Act lets it seek individualized statutory damages set by a jury. Two other suits filed the same day against the same defendants are Nos. 3:26-cv-13187 and 3:26-cv-13189.
The works
The complaint alleges that a non-exhaustive list of registered copyrights owned by the plaintiff is attached as Exhibit A (the Plaintiff's Works), and that the plaintiff is the legal or beneficial owner of those copyrights even where other individuals or entities are listed as claimants on the registrations. Exhibit A is not available. The complaint alleges that one or more of the works are contained in pirated online libraries including Books3, LibGen, Z-Library, and Anna's Archive, and that the works were also published in print and commercially available for purchase in physical form while xAI ran the book-scanning program it describes.
What the complaint alleges
The complaint alleges that the defendants copied, downloaded, reproduced, and used unauthorized copies of the Plaintiff's Works in developing, training, fine-tuning, and deploying the Grok family of large language models, including by acquiring works from shadow-library repositories and, on information and belief, by torrenting; by scanning physical books into digital form and extracting the text; and by retaining and processing those copies. It alleges the infringement was willful. It further alleges removal or alteration of copyright management information from the works.
Claims and relief
Count I is direct copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 501 based on pirated copies obtained from shadow libraries. Count II is direct copyright infringement based on scanning of physical books. Count III is contributory copyright infringement under § 501. Count IV is removal of copyright management information under § 1202(b)(1). The prayer seeks judgment for the plaintiff; declarations of infringement, willfulness, and § 1202(b) violations; a permanent injunction against the alleged infringing conduct; an injunction against removing or altering copyright management information that would also require the defendants to preserve records of the provenance and processing of every copy used in training; an accounting of gains; statutory damages under the Copyright Act; statutory or actual damages under § 1203(c); restitution, disgorgement, costs, expenses, and attorneys' fees under §§ 505 and 1203; pre- and post-judgment interest; and other relief.