California Judge reject bid to block OpenAI’s defense in similar copyright lawsuits

In a legal development in a case following a lawsuit involving OpenAI, a California federal judge has denied authors’ request to bar OpenAI from defending against similar copyright infringement claims filed by the New York Times and notable writers like John Grisham and George R.R. Martin in Manhattan. OpenAI is now permitted to proceed with its defense in the New York cases.

The California authors said last month that allowing the “copycat” cases to continue would create inconsistent rulings and waste the courts’ resources. In a three-page order, Judge Martinez-Olguin highlighted the lack of legal precedent that would justify such an injunction, reinforcing OpenAI’s right to defend itself in the New York cases. By using the “first to file” rule, the judge’s decision highlighted how crucial it is to refrain from interfering with concurrent federal proceedings unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

As such, Judge Martinez-Olguin dismissed the request from the plaintiffs, including acclaimed writers Michael Chabon, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and comedian Sarah Silverman. Judge Martinez-Olguin noted that « only in the most unusual cases should the Court grant an injunction that would interfere with another federal proceeding ».