Eight Major U.S. Newspapers Join Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against OpenAI And Microsoft

Generative AI is a controversial topic for a number of reasons. One of the current problems that generative AI companies are facing is copyright infringement claims filed by major U.S. newspapers. It started with the New York Times filing suit against OpenAI and its ChapGPT technology. However, at least 8 more prominent U.S. newspapers owned by investment giant Alden Global Capital are suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, in a complaint filed recently in the Southern District of New York.

Up until now, the New York Times has been the only newspaper filing suit against AI companies. Several other news publishers, including the Associated Press, have (instead of suing) struck paid deals with AI companies for millions of dollars annually. The Times had argued that they should be compensated billions in damages for copyright infringement. Those who have recently filed suit against OpenAI and Microsoft include the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Denver Post, Orange County Register, and St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Lawsuits could be combined into one complaint

While the New York Times lawsuit is still active, these 8 other publishers are joining the fight. Their lawsuit has been filed in the same district as the NYT suit meaning that if the same judge is selected to oversee both cases, they could choose to combine the two suits into one complaint. The papers opted to sue the AI giants instead of attempting to negotiate a deal. The Times tried to negotiate a deal with OpenAI and Microsoft for months leading up to its lawsuit. OpenAI said it was caught by surprise by this move. However, Alden isn’t ruling out having more of its papers join the lawsuit. Alden owns more than 60 daily papers.

Analyzing the lawsuit 

The plaintiffs accuse OpenAI and Microsoft of “purloining millions of the publisher’s copyrighted articles without permission and without payment to fuel the commercialization of their two main generative artificial intelligence products — OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot. The newspapers further claim that OpenAI and Microsoft removed copyright management information (like journalists’ names and titles) from their work when the information they reported was cited in answers to queries.

The lawsuit also makes trademark claims that allege that OpenAI and Microsoft engaged in unauthorized use of the newspapers’ trademarks in branding the answers from ChatGPT and Copilot.

The newspapers further accuse the AI giants of reputational damage related to generative AI’s “hallucinations” or made-up answers to queries. In one case, ChatGPT is alleged to have fabricated an answer that said the Denver Post published research that smoking was a cure for asthma.

Talk to a Columbus, OH Copyright Infringement Lawyer Today 

Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC represents the interests of companies that have their copyright or trademark infringed upon. In addition, we represent the interests of companies and individuals who are being sued for copyright infringement. Call our Columbus consumer lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

axios.com/2024/04/30/microsoft-openai-lawsuit-copyright-newspapers-alden-global