Eight major newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital have taken legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright violations related to the use of their articles in training artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Denver Post, Orange County Register, and St. Paul Pioneer Press, all under Alden’s umbrella, filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. Southern District of New York. The lawsuit claims that the tech companies used millions of copyrighted articles without permission to train generative AI models.
The complaint asserts that the AI tools developed by Microsoft and OpenAI are based on large language models that directly copied and utilized the newspapers’ copyrighted content, including news articles, investigations, opinion pieces, reviews, and guides. As a result, the newspapers are seeking unspecified damages, a trial by jury, and compensation for lost revenue from advertising and subscriptions.
This legal battle highlights the growing tension between news publishers and technology companies regarding AI training practices. While some publishers opt for litigation, others are choosing to collaborate with AI firms. News Corp., for example, has shifted its stance on AI partnerships and now aims to provide high-quality content to generative AI companies to enhance product relevance.
The New York Times also filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI in December, marking a significant case in the media industry’s relationship with generative AI technologies. The lawsuit raises concerns about how chatbots are trained and the potential infringement of copyrighted material by tech companies.
In light of these developments, publishers are faced with a critical decision regarding AI training methods: pursue legal action or establish direct licensing agreements. The outcome of these lawsuits could have far-reaching implications for the future of AI content generation and intellectual property rights.
