Seattle Times and Newsday Escalate the AI Copyright Fight
The Seattle Times and Newsday sued OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that their journalism was used as AI training data without permission and that chatbot answers reproduce passages from their reporting [6]. The publishers are seeking destruction of retained copies of their works, relevant training d…
The Seattle Times and Newsday sued OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that their journalism was used as AI training data without permission and that chatbot answers reproduce passages from their reporting [6]. The publishers are seeking destruction of retained copies of their works, relevant training datasets, and AI models incorporating that material [6].
Why it matters: The requested remedy goes beyond monetary damages and directly targets datasets and trained models, while the publishers argue that chatbot answers reduce site visits and subscription revenue [6].
Key insights: Microsoft was named because Copilot is built on OpenAI technology [6]. | The lawsuit follows similar claims by The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica [6]. | Nearly 400 local newspapers have also sued OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged use of their reporting and the resulting effect on traffic and subscriptions [6].
Cheatsheet facts: What changed: The Seattle Times and Newsday joined the growing group of publishers suing OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement [6]. | Why now: The outlets say AI systems use their journalism without permission and can substitute chatbot responses for visits to publishers’ sites [6]. | Watch next: Watch for OpenAI and Microsoft’s formal responses and for court rulings on the requested destruction of datasets and models [6].
The Seattle Times and Newsday sued OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that their journalism was used as AI training data without permission and that chatbot answers reproduce passages from their reporting [6]. The publishers are seeking destruction of retained copies of their works, relevant training datasets, and AI models incorporating that material [6].
Why it matters: The requested remedy goes beyond monetary damages and directly targets datasets and trained models, while the publishers argue that chatbot answers reduce site visits and subscription revenue [6].
Key insights: Microsoft was named because Copilot is built on OpenAI technology [6]. | The lawsuit follows similar claims by The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica [6]. | Nearly 400 local newspapers have also sued OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged use of their reporting and the resulting effect on traffic and subscriptions [6].
Cheatsheet facts: What changed: The Seattle Times and Newsday joined the growing group of publishers suing OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement [6]. | Why now: The outlets say AI systems use their journalism without permission and can substitute chatbot responses for visits to publishers’ sites [6]. | Watch next: Watch for OpenAI and Microsoft’s formal responses and for court rulings on the requested destruction of datasets and models [6].