From Mediacorp: 2024-04-30 15:33:36

A group of newspapers, including the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, sued Microsoft and OpenAI for unlawfully copying millions of articles to train their generative AI systems. The newspapers, owned by Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group, claim Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT used their work. Lawsuits by other news outlets are ongoing. OpenAI spokesperson defended their products, while Microsoft declined to comment.

The lawsuit alleges Microsoft and OpenAI’s systems reproduced newspapers’ copyrighted content “verbatim” and created fake articles that harm their reputations. Newspapers like the Denver Post and Chicago Tribune were falsely attributed with endorsing harmful products. The plaintiffs, which also include Orlando Sentinel and San Jose Mercury News, seek monetary damages and injunctions against further infringement.

MediaNews Group’s lawyer, Steven Lieberman, accused OpenAI of building its success on the works of others without permission or payment. He stated that the defendants utilize copyrighted content without compensating the copyright owners. The lawsuit highlights the potential landmark lawsuits brought by copyright holders against tech companies over the data used in their AI systems.

Overall, the lawsuit brings attention to the ongoing battle between news publishers and tech companies over the use of copyrighted material in AI training. The outcome of this legal case could set a precedent for future disputes and the fair compensation of copyright owners whose work is being utilized by tech firms without permission. It remains to be seen how the court will rule on this matter and the impact it will have on the broader tech industry and media landscape.



Read more at Mediacorp: US newspapers sue OpenAI for copyright infringement over AI training