● Covered by 8 sources · 12 reportsMedium impact6 negative6 neutral
Trump Administration Supports OpenAI in NYT Copyright Lawsuit, Citing Fair Use for AI Training
Key points
- Trump administration filed a statement supporting OpenAI in NYT copyright lawsuit.
- The statement argues training AI on copyrighted text is fair use.
- Restricting AI training would hinder scientific progress and economic prosperity.
- The New York Times lawsuit seeks billions in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft.
- The brief emphasizes the US interest in leading the AI industry globally.
- The lawsuit was first filed in 2023.
- The brief was filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
- Other newspapers have joined the lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft.
- The brief has advisory rather than legal weight.
- Microsoft is OpenAI's largest financial backer.
- The Seattle Times and Newsday filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft.
- The lawsuit was filed on Friday.
- The lawsuit alleges AI model training bypasses paywalls.
- The lawsuit claims AI models reduce traffic and ad revenue for news organizations.
- The lawsuit alleges AI models create hallucinations attributing false information to news outlets.
- The lawsuit claims AI models remove copyright management information on articles.
- Microsoft and OpenAI funded some of The Seattle Times' journalism projects and fellowships.
- The lawsuit seeks destruction of their works from training datasets and AI models.
- The lawsuit alleges AI models reproduce passages from their reporting in user queries.
- Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica also filed lawsuits against OpenAI.
- Nearly 400 local newspapers recently sued OpenAI and Microsoft.
- A Microsoft executive privately called AI scraping "the largest theft of labor in human history."
- OpenAI leadership stated AI models posed an "existential threat" to publishers.
- Microsoft's Copilot caused a significant drop in click-through rates for The New York Times.
- An internal Microsoft document said generative AI products created a "doom loop" for the web.
- The unredacted court filing was unsealed on Thursday.
- Microsoft Director of Applied Science Brent Hecht made the "largest theft" comment.
- Brent Hecht also called AI scraping "a complete mockery of the idea of 'fair use'."
- OpenAI executive Nick Turley stated AI models posed an "existential threat" to publishers.
- Microsoft's director of Applied Science, Dr. Brent Hecht, said OpenAI's work could create a "doom loop."
- The unredacted materials show OpenAI and partners obtained training content by bypassing paywalls.
- The New York Times' legal team asked the court for a summary judgment.
- The lawsuit is still ongoing almost three years later.
- The unsealed statements were from Microsoft and OpenAI executives.
- OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman was mentioned in the unsealed materials.
Government Intervention in AI Copyright Case
The Trump administration has formally intervened in the copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times against OpenAI. This intervention takes the form of a statement of interest, a 20-page brief filed in support of OpenAI's position regarding the use of copyrighted material for training large language models (LLMs).
Fair Use Argument for AI Training
The core of the administration's argument is that training AI models on copyrighted text falls under the doctrine of fair use. US attorneys stated that The New York Times' attempt to narrow fair-use doctrine to exclude LLM training would be inconsistent with basic copyright law principles and would severely impede 'the Progress of Science and useful Arts.'
The brief highlights that LLMs are already contributing to major breakthroughs across various research fields.
Implications for American AI Leadership
The administration's filing emphasizes the United States' strong interest in developing a robust and competitive artificial intelligence industry to maintain global leadership. It argues that constraining LLM development based on a misunderstanding of fair use would hinder American AI leadership and economic progress, referencing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
Background of the Lawsuit
The New York Times filed its landmark lawsuit in December 2023, alleging that OpenAI unlawfully trained its AI systems on articles from the publication. The lawsuit seeks to recover 'billions of dollars' in damages from both Microsoft and OpenAI. This legal challenge is part of a broader debate concerning whether AI companies can use copyrighted material without permission to train their models.
Updates
- The unsealed statements were from Microsoft and OpenAI executives.
- OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman was mentioned in the unsealed materials.
- The New York Times' legal team asked the court for a summary judgment.
- The lawsuit is still ongoing almost three years later.
- OpenAI executive Nick Turley stated AI models posed an "existential threat" to publishers.
- Microsoft's director of Applied Science, Dr. Brent Hecht, said OpenAI's work could create a "doom loop."
- The unredacted materials show OpenAI and partners obtained training content by bypassing paywalls.
- Microsoft Director of Applied Science Brent Hecht made the "largest theft" comment.
- Brent Hecht also called AI scraping "a complete mockery of the idea of 'fair use'."
- A Microsoft executive privately called AI scraping "the largest theft of labor in human history."
- OpenAI leadership stated AI models posed an "existential threat" to publishers.
- Microsoft's Copilot caused a significant drop in click-through rates for The New York Times.
- An internal Microsoft document said generative AI products created a "doom loop" for the web.
- The unredacted court filing was unsealed on Thursday.
- The lawsuit seeks destruction of their works from training datasets and AI models.
- The lawsuit alleges AI models reproduce passages from their reporting in user queries.
- Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica also filed lawsuits against OpenAI.
- Nearly 400 local newspapers recently sued OpenAI and Microsoft.
- Microsoft and OpenAI funded some of The Seattle Times' journalism projects and fellowships.
- The Seattle Times and Newsday filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft.
- The lawsuit was filed on Friday.
- The lawsuit alleges AI model training bypasses paywalls.
- The lawsuit claims AI models reduce traffic and ad revenue for news organizations.
- The lawsuit alleges AI models create hallucinations attributing false information to news outlets.
- The lawsuit claims AI models remove copyright management information on articles.
- The lawsuit was first filed in 2023.
- The brief was filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
- Other newspapers have joined the lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft.
- The brief has advisory rather than legal weight.
- Microsoft is OpenAI's largest financial backer.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Newly unsealed statements from Microsoft and OpenAI executives in The New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI challenge the "fair-use" defense, indicating that OpenAI's chatbots might be a direct substitute for journalism. These revelations could lead to a significant settlement or a trial victory for The New York Times, impacting the future economics of journalism and AI training practices.
Legal briefs filed in The New York Times' copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft reveal internal communications from both companies expressing concerns about AI's impact on content creators. A Microsoft director called AI scraping "the largest theft of labor in human history," while an OpenAI executive described ChatGPT as an "existential threat" to publishers. These revelations highlight internal awareness within these companies regarding the potential negative consequences of their AI models on content industries.
Newly unsealed court documents from The New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft reveal internal concerns from executives regarding AI training data acquisition. A Microsoft director described OpenAI's web scraping as the "largest theft of labor in human history," highlighting the ongoing legal and ethical debate over copyrighted material used for AI model training.
An unredacted court filing in The New York Times vs. OpenAI copyright lawsuit revealed internal statements from Microsoft and OpenAI executives admitting that large language models (LLMs) were built on "astonishing theft" and are creating a "doom loop" for the web. These admissions, previously sealed or redacted, indicate that LLMs were trained on uncompensated human labor and content, posing an existential threat to creators and media companies.
Internal documents unsealed in a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI reveal a Microsoft director described AI training on news content as an "astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions" and a "complete mockery of fair use." These disclosures highlight internal concerns within both companies regarding the legality and ethical implications of using copyrighted material for AI model training, which could significantly influence ongoing legal battles and future AI development practices.
New unredacted court filings in The New York Times' copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft reveal a Microsoft executive privately described AI training practices as "the largest theft of labor in human history." The filings also detail how AI models allegedly bypass paywalls and strip copyright notices, and show Microsoft's Copilot caused a significant drop in click-through rates for The New York Times.
The Seattle Times and Newsday have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that their journalistic content was used without permission to train AI models. The publishers are seeking the destruction of their works from training datasets and AI models, arguing that the AI chatbots reduce website visits and subscription revenue.
The Seattle Times and Newsday have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement due to the use of their journalistic content to train AI models. This action follows similar lawsuits from other publications, raising concerns about the future of the journalism industry.
The Seattle Times and Newsday have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that the companies used their copyrighted content without permission to train AI models. This legal action claims that AI model training bypasses paywalls, harms news organizations' business models by reducing traffic and ad revenue, and can lead to false information attributed to the outlets.
The Trump administration filed a brief supporting OpenAI in its lawsuit against The New York Times, arguing for the use of copyrighted material to train AI models. This intervention, while advisory, signals government interest in fostering AI development and could influence ongoing copyright disputes in the tech industry.
The Trump administration filed a 20-page brief in support of OpenAI's unlicensed use of copyrighted material to train its large language models (LLMs) in a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. The brief argues that constraining LLM development based on a misunderstanding of fair use would hinder American AI leadership and economic progress. This intervention highlights the ongoing legal debate regarding fair use in AI training and its potential impact on the development of the AI industry.
The Trump administration has filed a statement of interest in The New York Times' copyright lawsuit against OpenAI, arguing that training AI models on copyrighted text constitutes fair use. This intervention supports OpenAI's defense and suggests that restricting AI development based on a narrow interpretation of fair use would hinder scientific progress and economic prosperity.