USA Today Co. sues OpenAI, seeking more than $250M over copied articles
USA Today Co., together with the several local newspapers it owns, is suing OpenAI. The publisher claims the company copied "hundreds of thousands" of articles to train its AI models. The suit was first reported by Reuters; in a filing on Thursday, the publisher asks for damages of more than $250 million.
The filing alleges that OpenAI's unauthorized use of USA Today's content "has done real and continuing" harm to its outlets. "OpenAI's commercial success rests on large-scale copyright infringement," the lawsuit claims. It alleges that OpenAI never asked for permission to use the content and instead "took" it to "build products worth hundreds of billions of dollars."
The Tennessean, Indy Star, The Columbus Dispatch, The Oklahoman and several other local outlets are also included in the lawsuit.
The Verge describes the case as just the latest in a string of copyright lawsuits against OpenAI. Besides the copyright suit from The New York Times, OpenAI is facing legal action from The Intercept, CNET owner Ziff Davis, CBC/Radio-Canada, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster, The Seattle Times, and a coalition of nearly 400 local newspapers.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment, so the claims above are the publisher's allegations, not findings.
Key facts
- USA Today Co. and the several local newspapers it owns are suing OpenAI, alleging it copied "hundreds of thousands" of articles to train its AI models.
- The publisher seeks damages of more than $250 million, according to a filing on Thursday first reported by Reuters.
- The suit alleges OpenAI never asked permission and used the content to "build products worth hundreds of billions of dollars."
- Included outlets are The Tennessean, Indy Star, The Columbus Dispatch, The Oklahoman and several others.
- OpenAI also faces suits from The New York Times, The Intercept, Ziff Davis, CBC/Radio-Canada, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster, The Seattle Times and a coalition of nearly 400 local newspapers.
Why it matters
The case adds another large news publisher to a growing list of plaintiffs arguing that training AI models on their articles without permission is copyright infringement. The Verge calls it the latest in a string of such suits against OpenAI. The damages claim is large: more than $250 million, stated as a floor. The filing also puts a figure on what it says OpenAI built from the material, products worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Who it affects
OpenAI is the defendant. On the other side are USA Today Co. and several local newspapers it owns, including The Tennessean, Indy Star, The Columbus Dispatch and The Oklahoman. Other news and reference publishers already suing OpenAI, among them The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Encyclopaedia Britannica and a coalition of nearly 400 local newspapers, are in the same broad dispute over training data.
How to use it
This is a legal story, not a product, so there is nothing to adopt or install. Readers tracking AI and copyright can treat it as another data point: the claim is that content was taken without a permission request, and the remedy sought is money damages of more than $250 million.
How solid is it
The reporting is from The Verge, which cites Reuters for the original report and refers to a filing made on Thursday. The figures are the plaintiff's own claims: "hundreds of thousands" of articles, damages of more than $250 million, products worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The source does not say how the $250 million figure was calculated. OpenAI had not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing.
Risks and caveats
These are allegations in a complaint, not court findings. The source does not name the court, and it does not say which OpenAI models or products were trained on the content. It gives no details on the status or outcomes of the other lawsuits it lists. OpenAI's position is not yet on record in this account.
“OpenAI’s commercial success rests on large-scale copyright infringement”
— USA Today Co.'s lawsuit, as quoted by The Verge