Newspapers Sue OpenAI, Microsoft for Alleged Infringement
A coalition of eight newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital, including The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, and The Denver Post, has initiated a federal lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI. The publishers allege that the tech companies have illegally harvested millions of their copyrighted articles to develop and refine their generative artificial intelligence products, such as chatbots. The complaint contends that these AI-driven products distribute news and information that is essentially plagiarized from the original reporting done by the newspapers, without proper attribution or compensation.
The lawsuit further argues that the newspapers have invested substantial resources in journalism, and the unauthorized use of their content undermines their business, particularly when full articles from behind paywalls are reproduced without linking back to the source. The plaintiffs are not seeking specific monetary damages but demand a jury trial and claim entitlement to compensation.
In response to these accusations, the tech companies have maintained that the use of copyrighted content for the technological development of new AI products is lawful. The legal outcome of these suits could potentially redefine the relationship between news publishers and AI firms, shaping the future landscape of copyright law as it pertains to the training and commercialization of artificial intelligence.
