OpenAI Faces Consolidated Copyright Lawsuits from Authors and Media

Multiple copyright infringement lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft, filed by authors and The New York Times, have been consolidated in Manhattan federal court, alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted materials to train AI systems.

Focal Foto, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

A U.S. judicial panel has consolidated several high-profile copyright lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft into a single case to be heard in Manhattan federal court. The decision combines cases originally filed in California by authors such as Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sarah Silverman with lawsuits from The New York Times and authors including John Grisham, Jonathan Franzen, and George R.R. Martin. These plaintiffs allege that OpenAI and Microsoft used their copyrighted materials without permission to train AI systems, a charge the companies deny by invoking the "fair use" doctrine

OpenAI had sought to consolidate the cases in California, but the panel opted for New York, where U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein already presides over several related cases. This litigation is part of a broader wave of legal challenges from copyright owners against technology firms like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta. While OpenAI maintains its practices are legal and innovation-driven, the plaintiffs aim to prove that their intellectual property was unlawfully exploited. The panel believes consolidation will enhance efficiency and convenience for all parties involved.