OpenAI faces lawsuit from Indian News Agency

A clash over unauthorised use of copyrighted content in AI training.

Canadian media firms claim OpenAI misused copyrighted content.

Asian News International (ANI), one of India’s largest news agencies, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of using copyrighted news content to train its AI models without authorisation. ANI alleges that OpenAI’s ChatGPT generated false information attributed to the agency, including fabricated interviews, which it claims could harm its reputation and spread misinformation.

The case, filed in the Delhi High Court, is India’s first legal action against OpenAI on copyright issues. While the court summoned OpenAI to respond, it declined to grant an immediate injunction, citing the complexity of the matter. A detailed hearing is scheduled for January, and an independent expert may be appointed to examine the case’s copyright implications.

OpenAI has argued that copyright laws don’t protect factual data and noted that websites can opt out of data collection. ANI’s counsel countered that public access does not justify content exploitation, emphasising the risks posed by AI inaccuracies. The case comes amid growing global scrutiny of AI companies over their use of copyrighted material, with similar lawsuits ongoing in the US, Canada, and Germany.