– Trial between OpenAI and The New York Times addresses copyright concerns. – Plaintiffs claim OpenAI misuses content to harm publisher revenues. – OpenAI defends actions as “fair use” under copyright law criteria. – Key legal principles involve definitions of copying and traditional search engine functionality. – Outcome could influence future AI and publisher relations and copyright laws.
The copyright infringement trial between OpenAI and The New York Times commenced in federal court on Tuesday. The case involves arguments from OpenAI and Microsoft, who are attempting to dismiss the claims levied by The New York Times and other publishers. The plaintiffs allege that these tech companies trained their AI models using their content, thereby undermining their ability to monetize through advertising and subscriptions by reducing user visits to their sites.
OpenAI and Microsoft contend that their use of the content qualifies as “fair use,” a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material under certain conditions. They argue that their generative AI does not compete directly with original works but creates new outputs that can aid various industries, from healthcare to security.
The New York Times claims that OpenAI’s language models reproduce their copyrighted content, sometimes verbatim, leading to significant harm. They emphasize that these models are fundamentally different from traditional search engines and that users are not directed to the original sources, thus reducing traffic and potential revenue.
Moreover, the plaintiffs argue that OpenAI has facilitated the circumvention of paywalls through specific applications and has used time-sensitive content without proper attribution, which has adversely impacted their affiliate revenue. They assert that the usage falls under the “hot news” doctrine of copyright law, crucial for protecting timely information from competitors.
On the contrary, OpenAI’s legal defense insists that its language models do not store copyrighted works, but rather respond based on patterns learned during training. They contend that the comparison of AI-generated responses to memorized text is misleading and does not constitute infringement.
The court will decide on the validity of The New York Times’ lawsuit amidst multiple other lawsuits against OpenAI. Ongoing legal battles include claims from various media organizations and authors regarding the implications of AI in copyright infringement. The outcome may significantly influence future interactions between media publishers and AI developers.
The ongoing trial between OpenAI and The New York Times brings critical attention to the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence. As arguments unfold, key issues include the definitions of fair use, the operational integrity of language models, and the potential ramifications for publishers in the digital landscape. The judge’s ruling will likely set a precedent for future legal matters in the evolving field of AI technologies.
Original Source: digiday.com
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