CIR Sues OpenAI and Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), the oldest nonprofit newsroom in the U.S., has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its primary backer, Microsoft, for alleged copyright infringement. This legal action, lodged in the Southern District of New York on Thursday, aligns CIR with other prominent publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and New York Daily News in a growing battle against AI companies.

The lawsuit claims that OpenAI “copied, used, abridged, and displayed CIR’s valuable content without CIR’s permission or authorization, and without any compensation to CIR.” Monika Bauerlein, CEO of CIR, accused the defendants of engaging in “free rider behavior,” asserting that they exploited CIR’s stories to enhance their products without seeking permission or offering compensation.

The CIR is seeking “actual damages and Defendants’ profits, or statutory damages of no less than $750 per infringed work and $2,500 per DMCA violation” under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

In a related development, OpenAI has announced an agreement with Time magazine, allowing its ChatGPT chatbot to display Time’s content and use it to train its AI models.