US Newspapers Sue Microsoft and OpenAI Over Alleged Copyright Infringement
A consortium of US newspapers, led by the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, has taken legal action against tech giants Microsoft and OpenAI. The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court, accuses the companies of unlawfully using journalistic content to train their artificial intelligence systems.
Allegations and Claims
- The newspapers, owned by Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group, claim that Microsoft and OpenAI copied millions of articles without permission.
- These articles were reportedly used to train AI products like Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Legal Action and Impact
This lawsuit adds to existing legal battles faced by Microsoft and OpenAI from other news outlets. Notably, OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, is under scrutiny for its AI training practices.
Steven Lieberman, representing the MediaNews publications, criticized the defendants for using copyrighted material without consent or compensation. The lawsuit alleges that AI systems replicate the newspapers’ content verbatim and even fabricate articles falsely attributed to them, potentially harming their reputation.
Newspapers Involved and Objectives
- Besides the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, other plaintiffs include the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register, and Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
- The newspapers seek monetary compensation and an injunction to prevent further infringement, aiming to protect their intellectual property rights.
