USA Today and 19 affiliated newspapers are suing OpenAI for over $250 million, alleging copyright infringement and demanding the destruction of AI models trained on their journalism. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses OpenAI of copying and reproducing protected reporting without permission.
TL;DR
- USA Today and 19 newspapers sue OpenAI for $250M+ over alleged copyright infringement.
- Plaintiffs demand destruction of AI models and training datasets using their content.
- Case adds to OpenAI's ongoing copyright battles with other news organizations.
What happened
USA Today and publishers representing 19 newspapers filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on October 8, 2026, seeking over $250 million in damages. The 79-page complaint identifies more than 160,000 entries from the newspapers' websites in OpenAI's WebText training dataset, including approximately 83,300 associated with USA Today's flagship website.
The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of copying hundreds of thousands of news articles without permission to train its AI systems and reproducing protected reporting through its chatbot, ChatGPT. The plaintiffs argue that OpenAI collected articles regardless of paywalls and other access restrictions, deliberately targeting news content.
The complaint also alleges that OpenAI removed identifying information from copyrighted material, violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The newspapers contend that author names, titles, and other ownership details were stripped from their reporting.
USA Today and its affiliated publishers have asked the Manhattan federal court to treat their lawsuit as related to existing consolidated copyright litigation involving OpenAI. They have requested a jury trial.
Why it matters
This lawsuit highlights the ongoing tension between AI companies and news publishers over the use of copyrighted material for training AI models. The outcome could have significant implications for the AI industry and the future of journalism.
For AI developers and startups, this case underscores the importance of navigating copyright laws and obtaining proper permissions when using copyrighted material for training data. It also highlights the potential risks and legal challenges associated with developing AI models.
For tech investors, this lawsuit serves as a reminder of the legal and regulatory risks that AI companies face. It also highlights the need for AI companies to address copyright concerns and build relationships with content creators to mitigate potential legal challenges.
Key facts
- USA Today and 19 newspapers are suing OpenAI for over $250 million.
- The lawsuit alleges copyright infringement and demands the destruction of AI models and training datasets using the plaintiffs' content.
- The complaint identifies more than 160,000 entries from the newspapers' websites in OpenAI's WebText training dataset.
- The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on October 8, 2026.
- The plaintiffs argue that OpenAI collected articles regardless of paywalls and other access restrictions.
- The complaint also alleges violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
- USA Today and its affiliated publishers have requested a jury trial.
- This case adds to OpenAI's ongoing copyright battles with other news organizations, including The New York Times.
Context
This lawsuit is part of a broader trend of news organizations suing AI companies over the use of copyrighted material for training AI models. In December 2023, The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for allegedly unauthorized use of its journalism in AI development.
The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the AI industry and the future of journalism. It could set a precedent for how AI companies use copyrighted material and the legal protections available to content creators.
As AI continues to evolve, it is essential for companies to navigate copyright laws and obtain proper permissions when using copyrighted material. This case highlights the potential risks and legal challenges associated with developing AI models and the need for AI companies to address copyright concerns.
