Epic and Microsoft Clash Over AI Theft Claims

Epic Games and Microsoft have filed over a hundred DMCA takedown notices this month, accusing AI of stealing their code. Epic issued a notice on October 10 to remove a Fortnite port, while Microsoft targeted Minecraft, Call of Duty and Halo web versions. Both companies are also betting on the same AI technology. Epic's upcoming Disney/Marvel game will use Anthropic's Claude. That model paid $1.5 billion in September 2025 for training on pirated BitTorrent data. Microsoft backs its AI push with an $80 billion yearly budget for data centers. Xbox chief Asha Sharma said on October 13 the company remains committed to responsible IP stewardship. Tim Sweeney told PC Gamer in June 2026, "It's unfortunate that AI companies downloaded terabytes of data from a BitTorrent site." The irony is stark: the same giants decrying theft profit from models built on stolen data.