Newspapers Sue Microsoft and OpenAI Over Alleged Copyright Infringement

A recent lawsuit filed in a New York federal court has thrust Microsoft and OpenAI into the legal spotlight. The lawsuit, initiated by a group of newspapers including the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, alleges that the tech giants unlawfully used millions of articles to train their artificial intelligence systems.

The newspapers, owned by Alden Global Capital's MediaNews Group, allege that Microsoft and OpenAI copied millions of their articles without permission for training AI products like Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT. This complaint adds to similar ongoing lawsuits against the two tech companies, including cases brought by the New York Times, The Intercept, Raw Story, and AlterNet.

As per a Reuters update, a MediaNews spokesperson asserted that defendants owe their success to the work of others, emphasizing how they pay for hardware and personnel but seem to disregard compensating content creators.

On the other hand, an OpenAI spokesperson responded by stating that the company prioritizes supporting news organizations in its product development. However, a Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

The lawsuit accuses Microsoft and OpenAI of reproducing copyrighted content from the newspapers “verbatim” and even generating false articles through ChatGPT. Alleged instances include a fake Denver Post article promoting smoking as an asthma cure and a bogus Chicago Tribune recommendation for a hazardous infant lounger.

The plaintiffs, which also include newspapers like the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register, and Twin Cities Pioneer Press, seek unspecified monetary damages and an injunction against further infringement.