A group of newspapers owned by investment firm Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group, have filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI in a New York federal court, accusing the tech giants of illegally using news articles to train their generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The lawsuit targets Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, alleging that both companies utilised reporters’ work without permission or compensation. This legal action mirrors ongoing lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI, brought by renowned news outlets such as The New York Times, The Intercept, Raw Story, and AlterNet.
According to Reuters, an OpenAI spokesperson responded to the allegations, stating that the company prioritises support for news organisations in its product development process. Meanwhile, Microsoft declined to comment on the complaint.
Steven Lieberman, a lawyer representing the MediaNews publications, noted that the usage of copyrighted material has played a major role in in OpenAI’s success. He criticised the defendants for allegedly exploiting others’ works without acknowledgment or payment, likening it to a form of intellectual property theft.
The lawsuit contends that Microsoft and OpenAI’s AI systems reproduce the newspapers’ copyrighted content verbatim upon prompting. Additionally, it has accused ChatGPT of generating false articles attributed to the newspapers, potentially damaging their reputations. Examples cited include a fictitious Denver Post article promoting smoking as an asthma remedy and a fabricated Chicago Tribune endorsement for a recalled infant lounger linked to child fatalities.
In addition to the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, the plaintiffs include other prominent newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register, and Twin Cities Pioneer Press. They seek unspecified monetary damages and an injunction to prevent further infringement.
