Technology
Trump administration backs OpenAI in copyright dispute with The New York Times
A statement of interest filed in the federal lawsuit contends that training artificial intelligence models on copyrighted text constitutes fair use.
The short version
- The Trump administration intervened in The New York Times' copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft by submitting a statement of interest.
- The federal filing supports OpenAI's legal position that using copyrighted material to train AI models is protected under the fair-use doctrine.
- The lawsuit, initiated in December 2023, seeks billions of dollars in damages over the unauthorized use of news articles to train large language models.
- It remains to be seen how the presiding court will weigh the administration's stance against the publisher's copyright claims.
Key facts
- The Trump administration filed a statement of interest supporting OpenAI in its ongoing copyright lawsuit with The New York Times.[The Verge]
- The administration's filing argues that training artificial intelligence models on copyrighted text falls under the fair-use doctrine.[The Verge]
- The New York Times originally sued OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023, alleging its articles were unlawfully used to train AI systems.[The Verge]
- The New York Times' lawsuit seeks billions of dollars in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft.[The Verge]
What remains uncertain
- The impact of the administration's statement of interest on the final legal ruling remains undetermined.[The Verge]