publisher Ziff Davis challenges OpenAI on copyright infringement
Digital media publisher Ziff Davis (ZD.O) filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in Delaware federal court on Thursday, alleging that the Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O) artificial intelligence firm improperly utilized its publications to train the model that powers the widely-used chatbot ChatGPT.
Ziff Davis contends that OpenAI “deliberately and persistently” utilized copyrighted material for its AI systems, as stated in a copy of the lawsuit supplied by the media business.
The complaint stated, “OpenAI aims to act swiftly and disruptively, presuming that federal courts will be unable to adequately address the potentially existential concerns of content owners before it is too late.”
The recent lawsuit contributes to a series of significant copyright litigations initiated by news organizations, authors, visual artists, and others against OpenAI and several technology firms for purportedly exploiting thousands of copyrighted materials to train their generative AI systems without authorization.
Ziff Davis’ publications encompass technology news platforms ZDNet, PCMag, CNET, IGN, and the advisory site Lifehacker. Additional news publishers that have litigated against AI startups for copyright infringement comprise the New York Times and Dow Jones.
OpenAI and other defendants, including Google and Meta Platforms, contend that their AI systems engage in fair use of copyrighted material by analyzing it to generate new, innovative output.
An OpenAI representative stated on Thursday that their AI models “facilitate innovation, and are trained on publicly accessible data and adhere to fair use principles.”
A representative for Ziff Davis refrained from commenting on the litigation.
