A coalition of Canada’s leading news organisations has filed a landmark lawsuit against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, accusing it of unlawfully using news articles to train its artificial intelligence.
The plaintiffs, including major outlets like the Toronto Star, CBC, The Globe and Mail, and Postmedia, argue OpenAI has violated copyright laws by scraping their content without permission. They are seeking punitive damages of C$20,000 per article allegedly used, potentially amounting to billions of dollars.
“Journalism serves the public interest. OpenAI using journalism for commercial gain without consent is illegal,” the coalition said in a joint statement.
OpenAI has countered, claiming its training data comes from “publicly available” sources and adheres to international copyright principles. The company stated it collaborates with publishers, offers proper attribution, and allows publishers to opt out of its systems.
In its 84-page legal filing, the coalition accuses OpenAI of bypassing safeguards such as paywalls and copyright disclaimers to harvest their content. The group is also demanding OpenAI share profits made from the use of their articles and immediately cease using their content for AI development.
This lawsuit, the first of its kind in Canada, mirrors recent legal challenges in the United States. The New York Times and other publishers sued OpenAI in 2023, alleging similar copyright violations.
OpenAI, recently valued at C$219 billion, faces increasing scrutiny as questions around AI and intellectual property mount globally. The outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for the future of AI and journalism.
