Canadian media companies file lawsuit against OpenAI for violating copyright law

A significant class-action lawsuit has been filed against OpenAI, created by five major Canadian media companies. These firms claim that the AI company has violated copyright law by taking content from their platforms without permission. They alleged that OpenAI scraped them for voluminous amounts of material used in training its AI models to make money based on other people’s intellectual property.

Which companies have filed lawsuit against OpenAI?

The plaintiffs—Torstar, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC/Radio-Canada—filed the lawsuit in Ontario’s superior court. They are demanding financial damages and a permanent ban on OpenAI using their content without explicit consent. They argue that “journalism serves the public interest” and that OpenAI’s unauthorized use of their work undermines this principle. The companies stressed that OpenAI’s actions, motivated by commercial interests, were both unauthorized and unlawful.

This lawsuit is part of a mounting tide of litigation against the artificial intelligence companies accused of misappropriating copyright materials. The lawsuits against OpenAI have also started in the U.S., although several have been dismissed. Just earlier this month, a New York federal judge dismissed a similar lawsuit filed by some smaller US-based news outlets.

The 84-page court filing alleges that OpenAI misappropriated the companies’ intellectual property for commercial purposes, without compensation. It further claims that OpenAI opted for unauthorized scraping instead of seeking legitimate access. The Canadian media firms emphasized they have received no payment or acknowledgment from OpenAI for the use of their works.

The lawsuit against OpenAI is part of a broader precedent being set in the technology industry, as more cases from authors, artists, and publishers crop up worldwide. Noticeably, Microsoft, the largest financial backer for OpenAI, is not a defendant in this lawsuit. Earlier this month, though, Microsoft was added to a different lawsuit by Elon Musk, who accused them of monopolistic practices with generative AI.

The case might mark a turning point in how AI is regulated and copyright law, amid increasing tension between innovation and intellectual property rights.

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