NYT vs. OpenAI - AI Firm Demands Article Sources in Lawsuit

In a surprising development in the ongoing lawsuit between The New York Times (NYT) and OpenAI, the AI firm has requested that the court order the NYT to provide detailed source materials for each copyrighted article. This request, filed on July 1, has sparked a strong response from the NYT.

Background of the Lawsuit

The New York Times alleges that OpenAI used its articles to train AI models without permission or compensation. OpenAI, on the other hand, argues that its use of materials scraped from the internet is fair use.

OpenAI's Request

Details of the Filing: Lawyers representing OpenAI have asked a U.S. court in New York to order the NYT to provide discovery proving the originality of the copyrighted works in question. This includes providing full documentation of the authorship process for each article.

OpenAI's Justification: According to OpenAI’s legal team, the NYT claims that producing its journalism involves significant time, expertise, and talent, including deep investigations. OpenAI asserts it has the right to discover the methods, time, labor, and investment involved in creating the NYT’s works.

NYT's Response

Opposition to the Request: The New York Times’ legal team filed a response opposing OpenAI’s request, asking the judge to dismiss it. The NYT argues that OpenAI’s demand for reporter’s notes, interview memos, and other files to determine whether the works are protectable intellectual property is unprecedented and misinterprets copyright law.

Legal Argument: The NYT maintains that the process of creating copyrighted material is irrelevant to how that material was used in this case.

Current Status

As of July 4, no further documents have been made publicly available. It remains to be seen how the judge will respond to the opposing motions from both parties.

Conclusion

The latest twist in the NYT vs. OpenAI lawsuit has added a new layer of complexity to the case. As both parties await the judge's decision, the outcome could have significant implications for copyright law and the use of AI in journalism.