A group of eight daily newspapers, all owned by Alden Global Capital, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement related to the use of news articles to train their A.I. chatbots. The newspapers, including prominent publications like The New York Daily News and The Chicago Tribune, claim that the tech companies used millions of copyrighted articles without permission, primarily to power their generative A.I. products such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.
According to the complaint filed in federal court, the chatbots often displayed entire articles behind paywalls without proper attribution, thereby reducing the incentive for readers to subscribe to the newspapers. The lawsuit does not specify monetary damages but requests a jury trial and compensation for the unauthorized use of content.
Frank Pine, the executive editor overseeing Alden’s newspapers, emphasized the significant investments made by the newspapers in gathering news and stressed the importance of preventing tech companies from profiting off their work without proper compensation.
In response, OpenAI stated that it was not previously aware of Alden’s concerns but expressed openness to discussions with news organizations to explore mutually beneficial partnerships. The lawsuit adds to the ongoing debate over the use of data to train generative A.I., with publishers increasingly vigilant about protecting their content from unauthorized use by tech companies.
This legal action follows similar lawsuits, including one filed by The New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft in December. The lawsuit underscores broader concerns within the publishing industry regarding the unauthorized use of copyrighted material and its potential impact on journalistic integrity and revenue streams.
