Canadian news publishers sue OpenAI for alleged copyright abuse

Occurred: November 2024

A coalition of Canadian news publishers initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement due to the unauthorised scraping of their content to train ChatGPT. 

What happened

Five prominent Canadian media outlets - including The Canadian Press, Torstar, Globe and Mail, Postmedia, and CBC/Radio-Canada—filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in Ontario's Superior Court claiming that OpenAI repeatedly breached copyright laws by scraping large amounts of their content without permission or compensation. 

The pubishers argue that the practice undermines the significant investments made in journalism and violates the terms of service of their websites, which restrict content use to personal and non-commercial purposes.

The plaintiffs also assert that OpenAI's actions also circumvent protective measures intended to prevent unauthorised data collection, such as paywalls and user agreements. 

Why it happened

The lawsuit is part of a broader trendin which media organisations are increasingly challenging AI companies over data scraping practices. 

Legal experts suggest that this case could set important precedents regarding the legality of large-scale data scraping by AI companies. 

OpenAI contends that its practices fall under "fair use," arguing that the data used for training is publicly available and that they collaborate with publishers to ensure proper attribution and provide opt-out options.

What it means

The lawsuit represents a significant moment in the ongoing debate over intellectual property rights in the context of artificial intelligence. As AI technology continues to evolve, the legal frameworks surrounding copyright and data usage are being tested. 

The outcome of this case could influence future interactions between AI developers and content creators, potentially leading to more stringent regulations or new licensing agreements. 

Given the increasing number of similar lawsuits filed in both Canada and the U.S., it is likely that this issue will remain at the forefront of legal discussions in the tech and media industries.

Fair use

Fair use is a doctrine in United States law that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder.

Source: Wikipedia 🔗

System 🤖

Operator: 
Developer: OpenAI
Country: Canada
Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts
Purpose: Generate text
Technology: Chatbot; Generative AI; Machine learning
Issue: Cheating/plagiarism; Copyright; Transparency

Regulation ⚖️

Page info
Type: Incident
Published: December 2024