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Coalition Accuses AI Developer of Misusing News Content Without Authorization
A coalition of Canada’s leading news organizations has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the creator of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, alleging the company unlawfully used their articles to train its software. The lawsuit marks the first case of its kind in Canada and includes some of the country’s most prominent media outlets: the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and the CBC.
The media coalition accuses OpenAI of bypassing protections such as paywalls and copyright disclaimers, which are designed to prevent unauthorized copying of content. According to the group’s 84-page legal filing, the company has repeatedly violated copyright laws by scraping vast amounts of material from Canadian news publishers to train its AI models.
“Journalism is in the public interest. OpenAI using other companies’ journalism for their own commercial gain is not. It’s illegal,” the group stated in a joint release.
The coalition is seeking punitive damages of C$20,000 per article, a figure that could potentially lead to billions of dollars in compensation. The group is also requesting an injunction to prevent OpenAI from using their content in the future and is demanding a share of the profits generated through the use of their materials.
In response, OpenAI defended its practices, claiming its AI models are trained on publicly available data and adhere to fair use and international copyright principles. The company added that it collaborates with publishers by providing content attribution and links in ChatGPT’s search features, and offers mechanisms for publishers to opt out of data usage.
This lawsuit follows a growing trend of legal challenges against AI companies for alleged copyright infringement. In the United States, the New York Times and other publishers have launched similar actions against OpenAI, with additional claims made by the Authors Guild and writers such as John Grisham.
The financial implications of the lawsuit come as OpenAI’s valuation reportedly reached C$219 billion this week, following its latest fundraising round. The outcome of this case could have significant ramifications for AI companies and media organizations globally, as the balance between innovation and intellectual property rights continues to evolve.