Trump Administration Supports OpenAI in Copyright Lawsuit Against Media Companies
The Trump administration has sided with OpenAI in a lawsuit involving allegations that OpenAI used copyrighted articles from the New York Times and The Intercept without permission for training its AI systems. This support underscores a significant legal confrontation over AI training practices and copyright laws.
Sources
The Trump administration is supporting OpenAI in a lawsuit brought by the New York Times, alleging that OpenAI used millions of the Times' articles without permission to train its AI systems. The US government's brief states that AI training is "extraordinarily" transformative and emphasizes the importance of retaining global leadership in artificial intelligence. Copyright owners have filed numerous lawsuits against tech companies over AI training practices, with the outcome largely hinging on interpretations of fair use laws.
The Trump administration's Justice Department sided with OpenAI in its legal battle against The Intercept and other media companies regarding OpenAI's use of copyrighted work to train its AI tools, arguing that such access is vital for U.S. scientific progress and competitiveness in AI. The Intercept's lawsuit, which was initially filed in February 2024, accuses OpenAI of copyright violations, with their claims allowed to proceed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act following an initial dismissal of claims against Microsoft. The Justice Department supported OpenAI's defense of "fair use," suggesting that restricting its access to copyrighted material would have serious implications for competition in the AI market and innovation.