Seattle Times and Newsday Sue OpenAI and Microsoft

Two American newspapers are taking legal action for copyright infringement against OpenAI and also cite Microsoft, claiming that their content has been used to train the models. They are specifically demanding the deletion of datasets and models that would contain their works.

Destruction of Copies, Datasets, and Models Demanded

The Seattle Times and Newsday are requesting the destruction of all copies of their works held by OpenAI and Microsoft. The two newspapers are also demanding the deletion of training datasets and AI models that incorporate their content. OpenAI and Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Grievances Focus on Training and Reproduction of Content

The lawsuit filed by the Seattle Times and Newsday targets an alleged violation of copyright. The two newspapers claim that OpenAI used their articles as training data without permission and that the AI models frequently reproduce excerpts from their reports in response to users. Microsoft is also being sued because Copilot relies on OpenAI's technology.

A Wave of Litigation Driven by Media

The Seattle Times and Newsday join the list of media outlets that have recently filed lawsuits against OpenAI. Other similar actions have been taken by The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica. Additionally, nearly 400 local newspapers have also sued OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing that chatbots reduce traffic to their sites and impact their subscription revenues.