Five major Canadian news organizations—Torstar, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC/Radio-Canada—have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging systematic copyright infringement in training its AI models. The media outlets claim that OpenAI has used their content without permission or compensation to develop its generative AI systems, including ChatGPT.
The lawsuit also implicates Microsoft, a key investor in OpenAI, for its role in the alleged misconduct. The plaintiffs argue that OpenAI’s actions undermine journalism and breach fair use principles, emphasizing, “Journalism is created in the public interest, not for OpenAI’s commercial exploitation.”
The media companies seek damages and a permanent injunction to prevent unauthorized use of their content.
OpenAI counters that its models are trained on publicly available data, adhering to international copyright standards and fair use principles. A spokesperson stated, “We work closely with publishers, credit content sources, and provide opt-out options for publishers unwilling to share their data.”
This case reflects the growing tension between AI developers and content creators, with disputes over copyright boundaries and fair use at the forefront of the conversation.
