US Government Backs OpenAI in New York Times Copyright Case Over ChatGPT Training
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US government backs OpenAI in New York Times copyright case
Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has filed a brief supporting OpenAI in its dispute with the New York Times (NYT.N), opens new tab and several other newspapers over the company's use of their work to train the large language models behind ChatGPT, saying AI training generally makes fair use of copyrighted material. The brief, opens new tab, filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, appears to be the first time the U.S. government has weighed in on a wave of cases brought by copyright owners including authors, publishers, music labels and news outlets over AI training, in a development that could bolster tech companies as they fight the claims. "The United States has a strong interest in this court rejecting any argument that training LLMs on copyrighted texts violates copyright law" based on concerns including scientific advancement and national security, the brief said. Spokespeople for the White House, the Times and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing on Wednesday. The lawsuit, first filed by the Times in 2023, accuses OpenAI and its largest financial backer, Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab, of using millions of newspaper articles without permission to train OpenAI's popular chatbot. The case is one of dozens brought by copyright holders against tech companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta Platforms for what they say is misuse of their material to train AI systems. All of the pending cases will likely revolve around whether AI systems make fair use of copyrighted material by using it to create new, transformative content. The first two judges to consider the issue issued diverging rulings last year. The government agreed on Tuesday with tech companies that AI training is "extraordinarily" transformative. "Beyond the subject matter of this litigation, LLMs are already helping researchers across fields achieve major breakthroughs," the brief said. "Constraining LLM development under a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would thwart such creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility." Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington Editing by Rod Nickel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Artificial Intelligence * Data Privacy * Intellectual Property * Corporate Counsel * Public Policy Blake Brittain Thomson Reuters Blake Brittain reports on intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, for Reuters Legal. He has previously written for Bloomberg Law and Thomson Reuters Practical Law and practiced as an attorney.
[2]
US Government Backs OpenAI in New York Times Copyright Case
Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has filed a brief supporting OpenAI in its dispute with the New York Times and several other newspapers over the company's use of their work to train the large language models behind ChatGPT, saying AI training generally makes fair use of copyrighted material. The brief, filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, appears to be the first time the U.S. government has weighed in on a wave of cases brought by copyright owners including authors, publishers, music labels and news outlets over AI training, in a development that could bolster tech companies as they fight the claims. "The United States has a strong interest in this court rejecting any argument that training LLMs on copyrighted texts violates copyright law" based on concerns including scientific advancement and national security, the brief said. Spokespeople for the White House, the Times and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing on Wednesday. The lawsuit, first filed by the Times in 2023, accuses OpenAI and its largest financial backer, Microsoft, of using millions of newspaper articles without permission to train OpenAI's popular chatbot. The case is one of dozens brought by copyright holders against tech companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta Platforms for what they say is misuse of their material to train AI systems. All of the pending cases will likely revolve around whether AI systems make fair use of copyrighted material by using it to create new, transformative content. The first two judges to consider the issue issued diverging rulings last year. The government agreed on Tuesday with tech companies that AI training is "extraordinarily" transformative. "Beyond the subject matter of this litigation, LLMs are already helping researchers across fields achieve major breakthroughs," the brief said. "Constraining LLM development under a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would thwart such creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility." (Reporting by Blake Brittain in WashingtonEditing by Rod Nickel)
[3]
US government backs OpenAI in New York Times copyright case
Sept 2 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has filed a brief supporting OpenAI in its dispute with the New York Times and several other newspapers over the company's use of their work to train the large language models behind ChatGPT, saying AI training generally makes fair use of copyrighted material. The brief, filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, appears to be the first time the U.S. government has weighed in on a wave of cases brought by copyright owners including authors, publishers, music labels and news outlets over AI training, in a development that could bolster tech companies as they fight the claims. "The United States has a strong interest in this court rejecting any argument that training LLMs on copyrighted texts violates copyright law" based on concerns including scientific advancement and national security, the brief said. Spokespeople for the White House, the Times and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing on Wednesday. The lawsuit, first filed by the Times in 2023, ?accuses OpenAI and its largest financial backer, Microsoft, of using millions of newspaper articles without permission to train OpenAI's popular chatbot. The case is one of dozens brought by copyright holders against tech companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta Platforms for what they say is misuse of their material to train AI systems. All of the pending cases will likely revolve around whether AI systems make fair use of copyrighted material by using it to create new, transformative content. The first two judges to consider the issue issued diverging rulings last year. The government agreed on Tuesday with tech companies that AI training is "extraordinarily" transformative. "Beyond the subject matter of this litigation, LLMs are already helping researchers across fields achieve major breakthroughs," the brief said. "Constraining LLM development under a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would thwart such creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility." (Reporting by Blake Brittain in WashingtonEditing by Rod Nickel)
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The Trump administration filed a legal brief supporting OpenAI in its copyright dispute with the New York Times, arguing that AI training makes fair use of copyrighted material. This marks the first time the US government has weighed in on the wave of copyright cases against tech companies, citing concerns about scientific advancement and national security.
Trump Administration Takes Historic Stance on AI Copyright Dispute
The Trump administration filed a legal brief
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in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday supporting OpenAI in its copyright case against the New York Times and several other newspapers. This marks the first time the US government has weighed in on the mounting wave of copyright disputes over AI training, a development that could significantly strengthen tech companies' position as they defend against claims from authors, publishers, music labels, and news outlets.
Source: Market Screener
Government Argues AI Training Constitutes Fair Use
The legal brief
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explicitly states that "The United States has a strong interest in this court rejecting any argument that training LLMs on copyrighted texts violates copyright law" based on concerns including scientific advancement and national security. The government agreed with tech companies that AI training is "extraordinarily" transformative, positioning the use of copyrighted material in developing large language models as falling under fair use doctrine. This stance directly challenges the New York Times' argument that OpenAI and Microsoft used millions of newspaper articles without permission to train ChatGPT.The Stakes: Dozens of Pending Copyright Cases
The lawsuit, first filed by the New York Times in 2023
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, is one of dozens brought by copyright holders against tech companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Platforms. All pending cases will likely revolve around whether AI systems make fair use of copyrighted material by using it to create new, transformative content. The first two judges to consider the issue issued diverging rulings last year, highlighting the unsettled nature of this legal territory and the need for clearer precedent.Related Stories
National Security and Economic Implications
The government's brief emphasizes that "LLMs are already helping researchers across fields achieve major breakthroughs."
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The administration argues that "constraining LLM development under a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would thwart such creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility." This framing positions the copyright dispute as having implications far beyond the immediate parties, touching on national security concerns and economic growth in the AI sector.What This Means for Content Creators and Tech Companies
The government's intervention fundamentally shifts the landscape of the copyright dispute. For publishers and authors who have filed similar lawsuits, this represents a significant setback to their claims that tech companies must obtain permission and potentially pay licensing fees for training data. For OpenAI, Microsoft, and other AI developers, the brief provides crucial support for their transformative nature argument. The outcome of this case could establish whether AI companies can continue training models on copyrighted material without explicit permission, or whether they'll need to negotiate licensing agreements with content creators. As these cases progress through the courts, the tech industry will be watching closely to see if judges accept the government's fair use interpretation or side with copyright holders seeking compensation for their work.
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